Untitled c. 1970s

This untitled print was made by Gene Davis, though I'm not sure exactly when. What hits me first is the division of space: a field of scribbled green up top, then horizontal lines, like a minimalist landscape. The top part looks like a field with scratchy marks, almost like a kid attacked it with a green crayon. Down below, there’s this delicate, almost musical set of lines and dots. They give a sense of depth with subtle variations in the pressure, so it's a bit like looking into water. Davis is known for his stripe paintings, but this print reminds me more of Cy Twombly’s works on paper. Both share a love for the simple, the gestural, and the openness to let a mark be what it is. Art is always echoing itself, one artist talking to another across time. I think this piece is about seeing how little it takes to suggest so much.