Which art educator inspired Georgia O'Keeffe's move toward abstraction in 1915?

Arthur Wesley Dow inspired Georgia O'Keeffe’s move toward abstraction in 1915.

Dow promoted a design-centered approach based on line, color, and composition rather than strict imitation of nature. O'Keeffe encountered his ideas while teaching and studying art, and they helped her recognize that an artwork could communicate through formal relationships instead of simply reproducing an object.

In 1915, she made a groundbreaking series of abstract charcoal drawings. These works were among the earliest purely abstract creations produced by an American artist, and they were later shown to Alfred Stieglitz, the influential photographer and gallery owner.

Dow did not invent O'Keeffe’s mature style, and her later paintings cannot be reduced to his teaching. His importance lies in helping her break from academic realism and develop a personal visual language.