Untitled 1976

This work was made in 1976 by Gene Davis, using ink and colored pencil on paper. It’s easy to overlook drawing as a fundamental process, but in the context of the 20th century, it comes to the fore. With the rise of mass production and digital technologies, the handmade mark gains new significance. Here, we see a concentration of marks on the left-hand side of the sheet, balanced by a hard-edged purple delineation on the right. The contrast is stark, one side intuitive and gestural, the other geometric and planned. There is an evident difference in pace between the two. The density of marks on the left almost reads like a musical score, whereas the ruled lines on the right have a clear, concise presence. Davis’s piece reminds us that every work of art emerges from a series of deliberate choices, and that materiality and process are the key to unlocking its meaning. It asks us to reconsider the perceived hierarchy between the mediums of drawing, painting, and even music.