Georgia O'Keeffe - Black Iris No. 2 (1936)Iris was a Greek goddess who, with her male counterpart Hermes, carried messages between the gods and humans. Her symbol is the rainbow – the bridge between heaven and earth. One of Iris’s duties was to guide dying women to the Elysian Fields. In ancient Greece the graves of women were covered with irises.
The significance of the iris was not lost on American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986). She was fascinated with the iris' resemblance to the female reproductive organs and explored its form in magnified views of its blossoms.
The iris is also the symbol of "Eyes on the Prize", an organisation that provides information and support for gynechological cancer patients.
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