Meandering 1979

Curator: Gene Davis’s “Meandering,” created in 1979, is one of those works that initially presents as simple, but it quietly draws you in. What's your first reaction? Editor: It looks like a very stylish tablecloth! Almost painfully minimal. All that blank canvas… are we sure it's finished? Curator: Haha, I understand your hesitation. Davis, though associated with Washington Color School, flirts with Op Art here—using acrylic in incredibly subtle vertical stripes around a largely empty canvas. It pushes the boundaries of what constitutes "enough" in a painting. Editor: "Enough" is a loaded concept, isn't it? Considering his use of acrylic – a medium deeply entwined with industrial production by this point – how does that blank space engage with ideas of labor and commodity? Is it about refusing labor in a system obsessed with production, or the value is more on design itself, more akin to consumer items? Curator: That’s an interesting reading! I’m immediately drawn to the implied movement suggested by "Meandering," which contrasts with the rigid geometric lines of the painted pattern around the edge of the canvas, it sort of brings some serenity into a very simple design. It’s contemplative, rather Zen almost. Editor: Zen by way of DuPont, perhaps! There’s the tension, right? High art strategies, meditative vibe... executed with distinctly manufactured materials. We must think about the accessibility afforded by those media – making art became less about rarefied skill, more about conscious, conceptual decision-making in what you make and the cost involved. Curator: Exactly. Davis wasn’t trying to trick anyone; his process was integral to the final statement. Do you think someone coming to this with no prior knowledge could perceive that inherent questioning? Or do they simply see… the tablecloth? Editor: Probably both! And isn’t that fantastic? This unassuming thing, with its gentle colors and spacious center, is loaded with art-historical and socioeconomic tensions if you want them, or if you want just to find your inner peace! Curator: I love that. It's like a visual koan. Well, thank you for untangling this painting with me; it's certainly given me a new appreciation. Editor: My pleasure! It makes me think differently about the intersection of production and perception, and the art world!