Checkmate 1973

Gene Davis made this painting called *Checkmate* with vertical stripes of color. I can imagine him, brush in hand, standing in front of a canvas. There's a softness to the colors, a kind of quiet energy in the repetition of the lines. Look at the slender yellow one, how it glows. And the pale lavender ones next to it, creating this rhythm. I wonder if he was thinking about music or maybe the way light changes throughout the day. It's like he's captured a moment, a feeling, with these gentle, rhythmic stripes. Davis seems to be in conversation with all the artists who explore color and form like Agnes Martin. And it makes me think about how we all, as artists, are influenced by each other, building on ideas and pushing them in new directions. His paintings are always a reminder that there are endless possibilities in art.