Monet's Garden 1980

Gene Davis made *Monet's Garden* with stripes of color, side by side, a bit like musical notes on a page. I like to imagine him moving across the canvas, one color at a time, kind of grooving to the painting, you know? The paint looks thin, almost watery, and the colors are soft, not too loud, like an impressionist painting. I see blues, pinks, yellows, all mixed together. If you squint it all comes together. Each stripe is individual but they become one big party of color! It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin's grids, but more free-form, more playful. Gene is dancing a bit. What a joy it must have been to think about making this painting. It makes me want to pick up a brush and try something new. It’s like he is having a conversation with other painters across time.