If she had died before painting a single bone or flower, Georgia O'Keeffe would still have a significant place in American art history because of works such as this drawing. Although the still life is one of the oldest subjects in Western art, here O'Keeffe has drastically modernized it by simplifying the forms of both the avocados and their container.

By eliminating color and most details, as well as any reference to the physical location of the basket, O'Keeffe forces viewers to concentrate on the drawing's composition. The rounded shapes of the avocados are echoed by the irregular curves of the basket, while this repetition is further enhanced by the stark contrast of dark, velvety charcoal against untouched paper. This also allows the white background areas above and below the avocados to appear solid. Subtle variations in texture distinguish the parts of this composition as the weave of the paper shows through in lighter areas. Although Alligator Pears is part of a series of still lifes O'Keeffe produced during the early 1920s, it bears a close relationship to the paintings of black river rocks she made a half century later.