Ready-to-Wear
Stuart David
STUART DAVIS, 1955. OIL ON CANVAS.
The colors do not mix. There is no gentle dispersion of light, or gradual movement from brightness to darkness. The forms overlap, they interrupt and inject and each ultimately stands alone. Yet the colors and the shapes come together to create something harmonious, something beautiful, something greater than the sum of its parts. Stuart Davis was an optimist. He saw the inventions and attitudes of the modern age as things worthy of celebration, and he incorporated their language into his work. ‘Ready-to-Wear’ is an ode to mass produced fashion, to the innovation and repetition that leads to a garment that, when in the hands of the wearer, becomes almost impossible unique. The forms in the painting may even be these patterns, component parts that when stitched together create something new, and the cross of white in the corner are the scissors themselves, a makers mark hiding in the artwork. Yet ‘Ready-to-Wear’ as a title also speaks to Davis’ process - simple primary colours, painted straight from the tube, allow more freedom and energy to exist on the canvas through movement and form. Davis tells us in both concept and practice that the modern age allows a new energy, and if we harness it correctly, that energy can open new worlds.