Pumpkin 1959

Here we see “Pumpkin,” a vertical stripe painting made by Gene Davis, an African American artist associated with the Washington Color School movement. Davis developed his signature style of colorful, closely placed vertical stripes in the late 1950s, which gained prominence during the Civil Rights Movement. The stripes have a musical quality and can be interpreted as a visual metaphor for rhythm. “Pumpkin” could be seen as a challenge to racial segregation, using abstraction to create a sense of harmony and equality in the visual field. Davis’s art invites us to consider how abstract forms can engage with complex questions about identity, race, and social justice. The emotional experience of viewing “Pumpkin” is one of visual harmony, where each stripe plays a part in the overall composition, reflecting an ideal of integration and equality.