How did Georgia O’Keeffe use line colour and notan in her art?

Georgia O’Keeffe’s approach to art was profoundly shaped by the teachings of Arthur Wesley Dow, who rejected traditional imitative realism in favor of a Modernist aesthetic. Dow advocated for visualizing personal ideas and feelings through the harmonious arrangement of line, colour, and notan—a Japanese system for balancing light and dark areas within a composition.1

O’Keeffe adopted these principles as a foundational alternative to the standard art-school curriculum. By utilizing these elements, she sought to express her internal vision rather than merely replicating the physical world. This influence remained a core component of her creative process throughout her career, even as she shifted her focus between abstract and recognizable forms.12

Her commitment to these aesthetic principles allowed her to move beyond literal representation, enabling her to create the distinctive, large-format paintings of natural and architectural subjects for which she is best known. Her work consistently reflected this Modernist emphasis on structural harmony, demonstrating an enduring fascination with the aesthetics of Asian art.2