Stuart Davis

Untitled (Black and White Variation on “Pochade”)

Stuart Davis wrote “A line must always be thought of as a place where something is going on.” The lack of color in this work brings attention to the overlapping lines which, like the notes of Davis’s beloved jazz, are alternatingly cooperative and independent. The composition derives from Davis’s vibrantly colored painting Pochade (1956-58), which contains the word “CAT,” likely in reference to jazz singer slang. The “C” has been removed in this version, making the context more mysterious.

Davis often painted variations of his work, and this is one of two black and white treatments of Pochade. Both crop Pochade’s composition, focusing on the lower right hand section of the original painting. In French, pochade refers to a rapidly rendered sketch; the term is ironic when considering Davis’s time-intensive process.