Evening Star No. III

Evening Star No. III by Georgia O’Keeffe, created in 1917, is a pivotal example of the artist’s early explorations into pure abstraction. Executed using watercolor on paper mounted on board, the work is classified primarily as a drawing, emphasizing the rapid and fluid technique O’Keeffe employed during this period. This piece belongs to a significant series of compositions focused on the visual translation of light, atmosphere, and natural sensation observed in the Texas landscape, where O'Keeffe was teaching at the time.

The composition employs a minimalist structure, dominated by broad, horizontal washes of deep blue and purple, which evoke the rich colors of twilight or predawn. A luminous central arc or band, possibly representing the titular star or the intense glow of an atmospheric event, is rendered through delicate applications of pale yellow and white. O’Keeffe utilizes the inherent transparency of the watercolor medium masterfully, allowing light to appear to emanate subtly from the paper surface. This early work showcases the nascent visual language that would define her career as one of the preeminent American modernists, transforming subjective experience into objective form.

The Evening Star series marks a critical step in O'Keeffe's development, as she moved away from explicit representation toward pure color and feeling, reflecting her deep interest in Arthur Wesley Dow’s principles of design. Although highly abstract, the piece remains firmly rooted in natural phenomena, capturing an immediate, sensory experience. This important drawing is housed in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The powerful simplicity of this 1917 watercolor continues to influence contemporary artistic approaches, and while the original remains in the museum’s care, high-quality prints and reproductions are widely available, contributing to the work's historical importance and public visibility.