Georgia O'Keeffe

Shell No. 1 is one in a group of three different shell subjects Georgia O’Keeffe painted in 1928 and exhibited at the Intimate Gallery in New York in 1929. It represents a nautilus shell set against a dark charcoal background. O’Keeffe avidly collected seashells on her travels. Later in life she recalled, “Each shell was a beautiful world in itself,” and “I have always enjoyed painting them—and even now, living in the desert, the sea comes back to me when I hold one to my ear.” The harmonious spiral shape of the nautilus can evoke the perfection of nature or infinity. O’Keeffe chose to represent the shell in a life-size painting measuring only seven by seven inches. The edges of her subject are barely contained by the borders of her canvas, resulting in a startlingly direct and striking representation despite the small size.