Hot Susan 1965

Editor: So, this is "Hot Susan" by Gene Davis, painted in 1965 using acrylic. I'm struck by the sharp contrast between the muted tones on the left and the explosion of bright colors on the right. It's almost jarring. What do you make of that contrast? Curator: Jarring is a great word. For me, this piece dances on the edge of perception. Think of it as visual jazz – those stripes are like individual notes, some harmonious, some dissonant. The grey stripes, are they receding? Or do those pops of emerald and baby pink push forward? Davis plays with our eyes. And what about the title – "Hot Susan"? Is she demure, that touch of pink in the grey scale – or is she really "hot" – flamboyant – represented by that almost overwhelming right side? Editor: That's a cool way to look at it - a jazz composition. It makes me wonder if he intended to create a specific mood. Did he want to capture something other than just the visual effect of colors and lines? Curator: Davis himself didn’t usually get into all of the theory and meaning in his works. Maybe he was channeling the energy of the 60s – that feeling of everything shifting, the push and pull between old and new, chaos and order. Does it make you feel like the painting's moving somehow? I've heard people say his work gives them a slight sense of vertigo! Editor: Now that you mention it, yeah, a little bit! The bright colors feel like they’re vibrating. It’s wild to think how such a simple arrangement can be so dynamic. Curator: Right? It goes to show that sometimes, the most impactful art is the kind that messes with your senses in the most subtle ways. Editor: I hadn’t considered that it could reflect the energy of such a tumultuous decade. It gives the work much more meaning, at least for me. Curator: Exactly. That’s what makes it interesting. Keep feeling.