Dog and Flowers 1957

Gene Davis created "Dog and Flowers" using ink and graphite, a work on paper. It reflects a mid-century American interest in abstraction mixed with figuration. Davis was active in Washington, D.C., a city that was becoming an important center for art. It challenged the dominance of New York. The loose, gestural style here could be seen as part of the Abstract Expressionist movement, but the recognizable subjects give it a different feel. The dog and flowers are depicted in a deliberately unrefined, almost childlike manner. This was a time when artists questioned traditional ideas about skill and beauty, searching for new ways to express themselves. Davis’s image suggests a playful, experimental approach, typical of a period that sought to redefine art’s role and purpose in society. To understand this work better, one could research the Washington Color School and the broader debates around abstraction and representation in the 1950s.