Vector 1968

Ronald Davis made this painting called Vector, and like much of his work, its ideas are rooted in the artistic context of Southern California in the late 1960s. The image creates meaning by playing with geometric abstraction and illusionistic space, two dominant modes in the art world at that time. The hard-edged shapes and bright colors are typical of the "finish fetish" aesthetic, which emphasized sleek surfaces and industrial materials. But Davis also incorporated elements of perspective and shading, creating a sense of depth and ambiguity. It’s not clear if we are looking at a solid object or an empty space; a real thing, or a model. Davis was part of a generation of artists who were questioning the established norms of painting and sculpture, pushing the boundaries of what art could be. We can look to period magazines such as Artforum and studio interviews to understand how he and his contemporaries were thinking about their work in relation to the broader social and institutional context. After all, art exists within a specific time and place.