Georgia O’ Keefe and Judy Chicago are two famous women known in the art world. The two pieces of artwork that I will be comparing and contrasting are Black Iris by Georgia O’Keefe and Peeling Back by Judy Chicago, both of which are abstract pieces. My motivation for choosing these two female artists is my respect for feminism. In this paper you will find that I give my reactions and judgments on both pieces of art, while using the knowledge I have gained in this course as well as the artists, websites and books to successfully analyze these pieces of artwork. Judy Chicago, formerly known as Judith Sylvia Cohen, was born in Chicago, Illinois. “I was raised in a family that believed in equal rights for women, which was very unusual for that…show more content… She received art training at several schools including the Art Institute of Chicago in 1905 which lead her to become an art teacher. Unlike Judy Chicago, Georgia O’Keefe is not a self-proclaimed feminist; she doesn’t even consider herself a feminist. She states, "I have but one desire as a painter – that is to paint what I see, as I see it, in my own way, without regard for the desires or taste of the professional dealer or the professional collector." (okeeffemuseum.org) O’Keeffe’s paintings to us are abstract paintings but to her they are a form of self-expression. She mostly painted the landscapes, flowers, and animal bones that were around where she lived. Her flower paintings are based off her observations of nature which started in…show more content… The petals surrounding the heart of the iris slightly cover the core subject, just like women’s sexuality in the 20s. The soft petals could be seen as a symbol of emotion. They are flowing and soft, yet demand attention with their varying colors. Black Iris is definitely a powerful piece of work and really makes you think. Its mind blowing how this simple painting can so say much and it definitely has a connection to feminism which is why I ultimately picked this piece. If I were tell O’Keeffe herself my thoughts she would definitely disagree with me. In a book title “Georgia O’Keefe”, she talks about why and how she painted her flowers. She wanted to paint it big and that people would be so surprised that they would have to stop and look at it. She stated “I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flower you hung all your own associations with flowers in my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower---and I don’t.” (pg. 82-83) This single quote downplays all my ideas of her