Which artist and educator became Georgia O'Keeffe's influential teacher at Columbia University?

Arthur Wesley Dow became Georgia O'Keeffe's influential teacher at Columbia University. His ideas about composition, especially the importance of line, color, and tonal relationships, helped her move beyond conventional academic realism.

O'Keeffe studied with Dow in New York in 1914 and 1915 while taking classes at Columbia University Teachers College. Dow encouraged students to organize visual elements according to principles of design rather than simply copy what they saw. This approach gave O'Keeffe a framework for developing a more individual style.

Robert Henri was another important figure in O'Keeffe's education, particularly during her time at the Art Students League, but he was not the teacher associated with this Columbia period. O'Keeffe's later abstract drawings, made while teaching in Texas, reflected Dow's influence without directly imitating his own work.