Micro-Painting 1968

Editor: So, here we have Gene Davis’s “Micro-Painting” from 1968, an acrylic on…well, it's a small rectangle. I'm struck by its…emptiness? The solitary dot seems so vulnerable on that ochre field. What do you make of it? Curator: Emptiness, you say? I like that. It reminds me of standing under a vast desert sky. It's not emptiness, truly, but the hugeness of space around one small point of existence. I mean, think of it: one tiny life within this expanse of earth... this color. Does it speak to a specific emotion in you? Editor: I guess it does feel isolating, but the color also brings a certain warmth, a grounded feeling. Maybe it's less about fear and more about being okay with being small. Curator: Beautiful. Think about Davis and the Washington Color School. He's working against the grand Abstract Expressionist gesture with the single dot. He dares to do almost nothing. It invites the viewer, me and you, to really activate our imagination to see this art. What does a single dot allow you to consider? Editor: I guess... the preciousness of every single moment? The idea that something very small can have just as much meaning as something vast and complicated? Curator: Exactly. That micro-painting has unlocked macro-thoughts! We bring our experiences to this simple construction, making it rich. And that's kind of magical, don't you think? Editor: Definitely! I walked in thinking, "Huh? One dot?" but now it feels like a whole universe of possibilities is contained in that one little point. Thanks for the insight! Curator: And thank you for allowing me the chance to let this small acrylic unlock some vast thoughts today, as well. It’s amazing how art continues to teach and inform if we let it.