Micro-Painting 1968

Here we have Gene Davis's "Micro-Painting," a small piece, perhaps done with acrylic or gouache, where the process feels really direct, almost like a sketch. The pale, milky ground is built from lots of little strokes, a field of tiny marks that feel almost pointillist. The color is thin, like the paint was mixed with a lot of water. Then you see the solid, intense blue dot right in the middle – it's so simple but so striking. It sits there like a full stop on the canvas. It feels like the moment of painting has been perfectly captured. Davis is known for his stripe paintings. You know, big fields of color, but there is something nice about seeing him reduce it to this one little gesture. It reminds me of some of Agnes Martin's quieter pieces, where less is so much more.