The artwork titled “Cottonwood III,” created by Georgia O’Keeffe in 1944, is a Precisionist landscape painting executed in oil on canvas. It is currently housed at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, OH, US.
The artwork depicts a scenic landscape dominated by vibrant cottonwood trees in the foreground. The trees are rendered in lush hues of green and yellow, their branches intertwining and stretching upwards. Beyond the cottonwoods, vast plains extend towards a distant mountain range painted in soft shades of blue and grey, creating a harmonious contrast with the vivid foliage. The overall composition reflects O’Keeffe’s characteristic attention to natural forms and her ability to imbue landscapes with an abstract quality while maintaining realism. The gentle curves and subtle gradations of color contribute to the sense of tranquility and the vastness of the American landscape.