Firecracker 1968

Gene Davis made Firecracker with paint on canvas, and right away, what grabs you is how he's organized the surface with these vertical stripes. It feels almost musical, like a visual rhythm. Looking closer, it's not just about the colors, but the texture too. See how some stripes are smooth, almost velvety, while others have this little bit of a rough edge? It's like he's playing with different ways of applying the paint, not trying to hide the process but showing it off. The colors themselves are interesting, too. All these reds and pinks, and then this chord of cooler greens over to the left. There is one particular stripe on the left, kind of a muted olive green, that seems to vibrate differently. It brings out the warmer shades on the right-hand side. This playfulness with color and texture reminds me of other artists like Kenneth Noland, who were also exploring the possibilities of color field painting. Davis is part of this conversation about what painting can be, pushing the boundaries and inviting us to see the world in new ways.