Drawing XIII

Created in 1915, Drawing XIII is a charcoal work on paper that exemplifies Georgia O'Keeffe's radical approach to abstraction. Executed with minimal lines, the piece reflects the influence of Arthur Wesley Dow's design philosophies, emphasizing rhythm and form over representational detail. The composition features a distinct curved line on the right suggesting a rising flame or flowing river, contrasted by a jagged line on the left evoking a lightning strike or mountain range.

Between these elements, four rounded forms appear to depict trees or a rolling hillside. This series marked O'Keeffe's first major exploration of abstract art, utilizing natural rhythms to express subconscious feelings rather than adhering to Cubist shapes. The work is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Georgia O'Keeffe created Drawing XIII in 1915 while teaching at Columbia College in South Carolina. This work emerged from a series of innovative charcoal abstractions developed after three summers of instruction at the University of Virginia, where she studied Arthur Wesley Dow's design philosophies. Rather than utilizing Cubist shapes common among early abstract artists, O'Keeffe employed rhythms and forms found in nature to express subconscious feelings.

Early in 1916, O'Keeffe mailed these drawings to her friend and former classmate, Anita Pollitzer. Pollitzer subsequently presented the works to photographer and art dealer Alfred Stieglitz at his 291 gallery. Impressed by the pieces, Stieglitz exhibited ten of the drawings, including this work, at the gallery in April 1916 without prior communication with the artist. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Drawing XIII is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, where it is catalogued under the museum's inventory of Georgia O'Keeffe works; the precise accession number is not specified in the available sources. The drawing was created in 1915 and was first shown publicly in April 1916 at Alfred Stieglitz's 291 gallery, where ten of O'Keeffe's charcoal abstractions were displayed following their mailing to Stieglitz by O'Keeffe's friend Anita Pollitzer.

Drawing XIII belongs to Georgia O'Keeffe's pivotal 1915 charcoal series that established her leadership in early American abstraction. The work crystallizes her rejection of Cubist-derived geometry in favor of organic rhythms drawn from nature, a stance she framed as translating the "unknown" into visual form. Alfred Stieglitz's immediate acclaim upon seeing these drawings, he called them the "purest, finest, sincerest things" to enter his 291 gallery, helped launch O'Keeffe's public career, with ten of the drawings exhibited in April 1916.

The series emerged after three summers studying Arthur Wesley Dow's design principles at the University of Virginia, which emphasized intuitive composition over mimetic accuracy, aligning with O'Keeffe's later insistence on feeling over observed detail.

Drawing XIII, created by Georgia O'Keeffe in 1915, represents a pivotal moment in the artist's career. This charcoal drawing is part of a series that marked her initial significant foray into abstract art. Through these works, O'Keeffe began to articulate her inner perceptions and emotions visually, moving away from representational forms. This period laid foundational groundwork for her subsequent explorations in non-objective imagery.