Alon Bement introduced Georgia O'Keeffe to the ideas of Arthur Wesley Dow.
Bement taught O'Keeffe at the University of Virginia summer school and encouraged her to study Dow's principles of composition. Dow emphasized the expressive power of line, color, and arrangement rather than strict imitation of nature.
O'Keeffe later studied directly with Dow at Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York. His approach helped her move away from conventional academic realism and toward the abstract drawings that first attracted serious attention.
William Merritt Chase was another important teacher, but he taught O'Keeffe at the Art Students League. Robert Henri was influential in American art circles, yet he was not the person who introduced her to Dow's theories.