Chama River, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

In 1934, Georgia O’Keeffe visited Ghost Ranch for the first time and returned repeatedly in subsequent years, eventually purchasing a home there in 1940. The Rio Chama, which runs nearby, became one of her favorite subjects, and her initial title for this painting, The Chama Again, demonstrates her affection for the scene. O’Keeffe painted from a bluff overlooking the river in the late summer. She abstracted the river and the surrounding valley, green from recent monsoons, to simplified forms, capturing the essence of the landscape.