Abstraction challenges the notion that art should be representational. Not all art represents a recognizable object, such as a landscape or a still life. Art that is non-representational is generally referred to as abstract. However, some abstract art may contain recognizable objects and elements that are arranged in unconventional ways. For example, American painter Georgia O'Keefe transformed the familiar world of flowers into abstract art with works like "Jack in the Pulpit." From 1930, the painting exhibits rich, saturated desert hues. Although the image is not immediately recognizable as a flower, the swirls and the central stamen do suggest that O'Keefe worked from a flower and deconstructed its form for the viewer.
Artists like O'Keefe returned to abstraction because of the flexibility it offered. The flower then takes on much more meaning than it would have if O'Keefe represented it formally. As "Jack in the Pulpit," the flower is a series of colors and forms on the canvas. On the very basic level, an abstract work of art embodies the phrase "art for art's sake." The image does not need to possess any deeper meaning, other than that which the viewer chooses to project onto it. O'Keefe's painting differs from cubism and other types of abstract art in its reliance on curvilinear shapes and forms. The sensuality of "Jack in the Pulpit" enables a wealth of interpretations, none of which will be correct. Unlike representational art, the subject matter does not matter.
Abstract art also has the capacity to convey abstract thoughts, concepts, and ideas. In "Jack in the Pulpit," the motion of the swirls suggests an upward movement. The painting conveys spiritual or emotional upliftment. At the top of the canvas, a spash of white and gold suggests the sun, whereas the darker browns impart the soil. Its earthy tones and richly saturated hues are grounding, in contrast to the upward motion of the curves. The painting suggests balance between earth and sky, which is what a flower represents even in its mundane form.
