Which Georgia O'Keeffe painting depicts a large white skull with red and blue stripes?
Answer
Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue
Answer
Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue
Cow's Skull: Red, White, and Blue depicts a large white cow skull with red and blue stripes.
O'Keeffe painted the work in 1931, during the period when bones and other desert remains became recurring subjects in her art. The skull is shown against a stark blue background, with the red and blue bands creating a deliberate association with the colors of the United States flag.
She found animal bones in the New Mexico landscape and treated them as strong, elegant forms rather than as merely morbid objects. The paintings can be read in relation to the harsh environment, the persistence of natural forms, and American identity, although O'Keeffe resisted fixed symbolic interpretations of her work.
The title is sometimes shortened in casual references, but the full title distinguishes this painting from her other skull pictures, including Ram's Head, White Hollyhock—Hills and Pelvis series works.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026