Micro-Painting 1968

This is a micro-painting by Gene Davis, though when it was made, and with what, I can't be sure. But look closely at that single green dot against the field of brown and you’ll begin to see that something very complex is going on. The earth-tone underpainting is built from many layers and you get the sense of a history of applying, removing, and reapplying paint, allowing for the kind of accidents that give it a really grounded, natural, and organic feel. The green dot is very controlled, almost stenciled in, creating a real dialogue between the organic and geometric elements. The painting looks like it may have been built through intuition and process, rather than any conceptual framework. Davis had a keen interest in how colour acts as a language, similar to the abstract colour field work of Barnett Newman. But in this painting, the mark making feels more personal, more intuitive. In the end, what we're left with is a painting that’s not striving to be overly serious and opens a space for play, which is what I think is beautiful about it.