Saber Dance

Gene Davis, Saber Dance, 1952, ink and ink wash on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis, 1996.104.55, © 1952 Gene Davis Estate
Copied Gene Davis, Saber Dance, 1952, ink and ink wash on paper, 13 1⁄2 x 16 1⁄2 in. (34.3 x 41.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis, 1996.104.55, © 1952 Gene Davis Estate

Artwork Details

Title
Saber Dance
Artist
Date
1952
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
13 1⁄2 x 16 1⁄2 in. (34.3 x 41.9 cm)
Copyright
© 1952 Gene Davis Estate
Credit Line
Bequest of Florence Coulson Davis
Mediums
Mediums Description
ink and ink wash on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1996.104.55
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1996.104.55

Artwork Description

Davis began his career making gestural, abstract drawings in black ink, but the various grays in drawings such as Saber Dance indicate an incipient interest in color. Although he is best known for his colorful paintings of vertical stripes made later in his career, early drawings like this one reveal the breadth of his interests and his range of expression. Davis made the drawings without a subject in mind and gave them titles after he completed them.

Graphic Masters II: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009