Which New Mexico feature inspired Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of a black cliff?

The Black Place inspired Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings of a dark cliff and arroyo in New Mexico.

The Black Place is a landscape near Ghost Ranch, west of Abiquiú. O'Keeffe described it as a place with black hills, eroded forms, and a stark visual character. She traveled there repeatedly and made paintings based on its cliffs and ravines rather than treating the site as a conventional scenic panorama.

The subject belongs to her broader body of New Mexico work, which includes bones, crosses, desert plants, adobe buildings, and dramatic geological formations. Her paintings often simplify or enlarge natural forms, so viewers may recognize the source without seeing a literal, fully mapped landscape.

The Black Place is easily confused with other named New Mexico subjects, especially the White Place near Abiquiú. Those names refer to different landscapes and color impressions in O'Keeffe's work.