Micro-Painting 1968

Gene Davis made this Micro-Painting, and I love how something so small can feel so expansive. The olive green ground seems to have been laid down first, maybe even with a palette knife, creating this lovely, almost industrial texture. Then you have the two circles: a crisp, pale blue framing a tiny, orangey dot. Look closely and you’ll notice that the lines aren’t perfect. The artist's hand is present, making it all the more intimate. It reminds me of Al Held and his hard-edge paintings, but on a miniature scale. There’s something about its simplicity that makes you want to hold it in your palm. It feels like a meditation, a little portal into another world, and a reminder that the smallest gesture can hold so much.