Rotation—Tilt (Black State)
started 1980, published 1984
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
etching and aquatint in black and gray on Arches Cover wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 69.9 x 45.7 cm (27 1/2 x 18 in.) sheet: 86.4 x 61 cm (34 x 24 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Gemini G.E.L. and the Artist
Accession Number
1981.5.158
Art Historical Context
Ronald Davis's *Rotation—Tilt (Black State)*, started in 1980 and published in 1984, exemplifies the artist's exploration of perceptual illusion through printmaking. This striking etching and aquatint in black and gray on Arches Cover wove paper captures dynamic motion in its title's suggestion of rotation and tilt, inviting viewers to ponder spatial ambiguity. The plate measures 69.9 x 45.7 cm (27 1/2 x 18 in.), with the full sheet at 86.4 x 61 cm (34 x 24 in.), offering an intimate scale perfect for contemplating geometric precision. Etching involves incising lines into a metal plate for sh...
About the Artist
Ronald Davis
Ronald Davis (born 1937) is an American abstract painter associated with the hard-edge and lyrical abstraction movements that flourished on the West Coast of the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Coming of age artistically in California, Davis was part of a generation of artists who developed a distinctive alternative to the dominant New York scene, embracing formal experimentation and a c...