Stuart Davis, "Owh! in San Pao"


  The sun is out today,  but still, in the late portion of winter, I think we need a bright and colorful work for this week.  

   Our artist is the great American, Stuart Davis (1892-1964).  This painting was done in 1951, so a relatively late work.  Davis's talent was developed early.  He studied under Robert Henri, of the Ashcan School of American art, and was the youngest American to exhibit in the famous 1913 Armory Show.  
   The Armory Show brought over the most current work from Europe and blended it with some works from the Ashcan School.  It traveled to three cities in the U.S.; New York, Chicago, and Boston.  However in Boston space limitations necessitated the removal of the American works.  It is important to stress how important this exhibit was.  For the first time Americans saw works by Picasso and Matisse, but it was Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase that caused the greatest uproar.   Art was definitely never going to be the same!  And young Davis was completely taken.  Cubism became a life long study, developing his own individual, American style.  But he did not work in a vacuum.  Abstract expressionism and eventually Pop art were influences along the way, as was American jazz, commercial signs, billboards.   
    I find Owh! in San Pao a pretty amazing work.   It takes time and much talent to marry a whole palette of color in such a sensational way.  I confess I don't like some of these colors, but Davis has assembled them in such a way they totally work.   Even his red signature seems to be part of the whole, and this is the essence of design.   Notice the range of values, blacks to the bright yellow, light blue.  Some objects touch and others float free.  Lots of sharp angles, pointing in different directions and a few curves.  Then he teases with a few words that we can easily read and wonder.  I find this work totally wonderful and lots of fun.   Don't over think it, just enjoy!
   Owh! in San Pao is part of the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.  It is an oil on canvas, measuring 52 inches by 42 inches, so pretty large.   
   Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.

Comments

  1. Char HarguthFebruary 8, 2021 at 6:26 PM

    Yes, a bright painting to look at in contrast to the glistening white snow outside today. I'm always interested in how shapes are arranged to make an engaging and balanced abstract work, and how colors are placed next to one another for emphasis. All the colors seem to be repeated equally. Some shapes appear to give it depth, and the way they are intertwined is fascinating. I find myself looking for a rhythm, and I feel a circular movement. The words could relate to any timeframe or era or event. The red dotted square adds so much to the whole work. The small blue rectangle is the only piece securing it to the outer edge. It could be a collage too, A very bold, pleasant painting!

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