Animals 1983

Gene Davis created this work, entitled "Animals," using what appears to be crayon and ink. The composition immediately strikes one as unconventional. The animal subject, rendered in broad strokes of green and yellow, is set against a stark black background, its form somewhat abstracted. Davis is known for his engagement with color and how it affects spatial perception, but here he uses color to define the animal form. The stripes disrupt the conventional depiction of the animal, and the composition defies traditional expectations, challenging our presuppositions about form and representation. The surrounding border is lavender with red dots, which only accentuates the destabilization of established artistic norms. The playful yet uneasy tension between form and abstraction is less about representation and more about Davis's exploration of visual elements. We are left to consider how the artist prompts us to view the world through the lens of shape and color.