Taffy, 1968; Acrylic on canvas; Titled, signed, and dated "Taffy Gene Davis 1968" verso; Size - 89 x 8", Frame 89 1/2 x 8 1/2"; Framed with a wood and metal frame.

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 "My whole approach is intuitive. Sometimes I simply use the color I have the most of and worry about getting out of trouble later. Perhaps I'm like the jazz musician who can't read music but plays by ear. I paint by eye." - Gene Davis

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Gene Davis (1920-1985) was an American Color Field painter known for his paintings of vertical strips of color. His first exhibition of drawings and first exhibition of paintings occurred in 1952 and 53 respectively. However, it was not until a decade later than he participated in the "Washington Color Painters" exhibit at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art in Washington DC that launched the recognition of the Washington Color School as a regional art movement. Davis was a central figure of that movement and was most known for his acrylic paintings of colored vertical stripes, which he began to paint in 1958.
 
In 1972, Davis created "Franklin's Footpath," which was at the time the world's largest artwork. It was accomplished by painting colored vertical stripes on the street in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He also painted "Niagara" in 1979, the world's largest painting (43,680 square feet) in a parking lot in Lewiston, NY. Davis also painted (at the other extreme) his "micro-paintings," that were as small as 3/8 on an inch wide.

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In 1966, Gene Davis began teaching at the Corcoran School of Art, becoming a permanent member of the faculty. His works are included in many public and private collections as well as the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum; just to name a few. 

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Davis's paintings tend to repeat particular colors in order to create a sense of rhythm and repetition with variations. Davis has said, "I never plan my color more than five stripes ahead and often change my mind before I reach the third stripe." The titles of his paintings were inspired by the whimsy of Paul Klee and were determined after the paintings were complete; and some of Davis's more famous paintings titles are derived from sweet treats such as "Licorice Stick," "Lemon Ice," "Popsicle," "Raspberry Icicle," and "Apricot Ripple." "Taffy," 1968 is a wonderful example of Davis at the height of his skill and the work is composed of 64 colored strips. Colors of varying light values are repeated across the canvas forcing the eye to dance about looking for ebbs and flows of interactions. Often the stripes are arranged as pairs or discreet groupings of alternating colors to keep the eye moving. Adjacent colors push and pull lines of color both away and towards the viewer in a seemingly ever ending orchestration. The viewer's eyes are being expertly manipulated by Davis in a figure to ground interaction, ever seeking a way to resolve the composition. An absolutely fantastic painting that is perfect for any modern art collection!
 
Provenance: 
Fishback Gallery, New York 
J. L. Hudson Gallery Detroit
Sotheby's Parke-Bernet, Los Angeles, Contemporary Paintings, 22 January 1973, Lot 13
Private Collection
LA Modern, 20th Century Art, 20 June 2024, Lot 122
Untitled Art Gallery, Durham, NC

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  #GeneDavis #colorfield #art #artwork #artist #untitledartgallery #OpArt #WashingtonColorSchool

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