With its sinuous lines of yellow against a pink backdrop, this painting can be seen as purely abstract, without a reference to the natural world. However, It Was Yellow and Pink III actually represents something Georgia O’Keeffe directly perceived. Having recently started traveling by airplane, the artist described how she was captivated by the view from far above: “I went around the world—and I noticed a surprising number of deserts and wonderful rivers. The rivers actually seem to come up and hit you in the eye.”