Black Grey Beat 1964

Gene Davis made this large painting, Black Grey Beat, using acrylic on canvas. Just imagine the rhythmic back and forth, the up and down motion of the brush as the artist applied each stripe. It's got a steady beat, doesn't it? I can really get into the feeling of making this. You’re trying to stay in the lines, but also let the hand do its thing, keeping the colors separate, but allowing the edges to speak to each other. What was he thinking as he chose that exact shade of pink, or that particular olive green? The paint looks pretty thin, which might mean that Davis was building up the colour slowly, patiently. This kind of stripe painting reminds me of Agnes Martin's grids, but much bolder, with a real sense of rhythm. It’s cool how artists keep the conversation going across decades, isn’t it? Painting is a place of constant exchange, a kind of visual call and response that keeps evolving, like a jazz solo.