Red Hills with the Pedernal (1936)

O’Keeffe, Georgia (1887-1986)

Red Hills with the Pedernal
1936
Pastel on paper mounted to wood-pulp board, 54.6 x 69.2 cm
Brooklyn MuseumNew York

The Pedernal is a flat-topped mountain that commands the Ghost Ranch landscape and is visible for miles in every direction. O’Keeffe was inspired by its unusual topography and regal presence. It became for her what Mount Fuji was for Hokusai or Mont Sainte-Victoire for Paul Cézanne—a compelling natural feature to be explored again and again in different compositions. Late in life, she liked to tell interviewers that she thought if she painted the Pedernal often enough, God would give it to her. (BkM)