Stuart Davis (painter)

Stuart Davis
Davis at work, 1939
Born
Edward Stuart Davis

(1892-12-07)December 7, 1892
DiedJune 24, 1964(1964-06-24) (aged 71)
New York City, US
MovementAmerican modernism

Edward Stuart Davis (December 7, 1892 – June 24, 1964) was an early American modernist painter. He was well known for his jazz-influenced, proto-pop art paintings of the 1940s and 1950s, bold, brash, and colorful, as well as his Ashcan School pictures in the early years of the 20th century. With the belief that his work could influence the sociopolitical environment of America, Davis' political message was apparent in all of his pieces from the most abstract to the clearest.[1] Contrary to most modernist artists, Davis was aware of his political objectives and allegiances and did not waver in loyalty via artwork during the course of his career.[2] By the 1930s, Davis was already a famous American painter, but that did not save him from feeling the negative effects of the Great Depression, which led to his being one of the first artists to apply for the Federal Art Project. Under the project, Davis created some seemingly Marxist works; however, he was too independent to fully support Marxist ideals and philosophies.[2]

  1. ^ Patterson, J. (2009). Stuart Davis's painting and politics in the 1930s. The Burlington Magazine, 151465–468.
  2. ^ a b Stokes Sims, Lowery (1991). Stuart Davis American Painter. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 17, 18, 20, 24, 26. ISBN 978-0870996283.