King Oliver 1977

Gene Davis created *King Oliver* as one of his stripe paintings, which became his signature work. Here, thin vertical lines of muted green cascade across the canvas. What's fascinating about these stripes is that they are so decidedly un-gestural. There's no virtuoso brushwork here, no bravura moment of painterly expression. Instead, Davis seems more interested in the overall rhythm, the syncopation of color and line. The paint application is direct and even, minimizing any sense of depth. The evenness of the stripes reflects the culture of industrial production. Perhaps Davis was commenting on the repetitiveness of factory work, or how consumer objects are pumped out at scale? Or he could be pointing towards the underlying principles of musical composition. Ultimately, it’s the sheer accumulation of these individual marks that creates the artwork’s overall effect. By focusing on this quality of mass production, we can gain a greater appreciation for Davis's artistic vision.