Smithsonian Resident Associates Program 1985 (20th Anniversary Poster) 1985

Gene Davis created this poster for the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program in 1985, using silkscreen. The poster is defined by a stark division: two expanses of black flank a series of vertical stripes on either side. Davis, associated with the Washington Color School, was deeply engaged with the formal properties of color and line. Here, the stripes – thin, vibrant, and closely packed – create a visual rhythm, almost a chromatic pulse. The stripes are contained, and in turn contained by, the two large black rectangles, which brings up questions of structure and semiotics. Are these colorful elements signs? The poster creates a tension between the contained energy of the stripes and the imposing darkness of the black fields. Consider how the artwork challenges fixed meanings. The stripes, while visually stimulating, are also regimented, prompting considerations of order versus chaos. This tension, rendered through simple geometric forms, underscores the complexity of visual language. We are left not with answers, but with an invitation to interpret and reinterpret.