Barricades 1968

Editor: So, this is Gene Davis' "Barricades" from 1968. It’s acrylic on textile, and immediately I see a sense of rhythm. The colored vertical stripes kind of dance across the canvas, don’t they? What captures your attention in this piece? Curator: That dance, that vibrant rhythm – it’s like visual jazz, isn’t it? But I’m drawn to something beyond just the aesthetic. The year is 1968. A charged moment in history, walls going up, not down, socially and politically. Do you think those vibrant "barricades" of colour could be read ironically, even optimistically? Editor: I hadn't considered that historical angle, but it makes sense. Like a protest painted in playful colors. The title suddenly feels less neutral. The repetition almost makes it seem… defiant. Curator: Exactly! Davis wasn't overtly political in his art, but these hard-edged stripes, so relentlessly vertical… they stake their claim on space, and perhaps a certain attitude. He asks, almost insists that you experience the energy between each colour pairing. And, perhaps between differing political views? Editor: So, the colors themselves aren’t just decorative? It makes me want to rearrange them and think differently about the patterns. Curator: Perhaps he hoped someone like you would make that connection… rearrange things, if only in your mind’s eye. What colors jump out at you now, knowing all of this? Editor: I see the stark blues and reds. Maybe representing opposing sides? Curator: An undergraduate reading history, political science, psychology... and now you see it alive in colour. He may never have stated that. Maybe he knew you'd reach this interpretation, someday. Editor: It is more than just color and stripes – a fascinating connection. Thanks for opening my eyes. Curator: Indeed! Colour always contains multitudes, doesn't it? Now I want to go re-evaluate all hard-edge paintings with you.