Painted in 1935, by Georgia O’Keeffe after a break from art caused by stress, Ram's Head With Hollyhock was the first work of her rejuvenated style. Influenced by the desert scenery of New Mexico, many of O’Keeffe’s pieces contained the same elements as Ram's Head With Hollyhock: skulls, flowers, and landscape. This painting beautifully illustrates the balance of life and death in the desert hills.
When first looking at Ram's Head With Hollyhock, it tends to give off an eerie mood, after all the main subject of the painting is a ram’s skull. However after taking in the entirety of the piece the mood takes a sharp turn from eerie to calm. Fluffy clouds drifting gracefully above sandy hills, thriving with bushes and trees, create a silent
