Stuart Davis, Rue Lipp, 1928

Barbara Haskell: Davis went to Paris in 1928 courtesy of a purchase by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney of two of his paintings. When he was there, he extended the geometric angularity that he had introduced in his Eggbeater paintings, but made it much more lyrical, much more delicate in keeping with his sense about the city. The picture, like many of the paintings from Paris, has this very confectionary palette, very linear detailing. For the first time he introduces his line as an independent element which becomes very prominent in his later work.

He presents the viewer as if we're sitting at a restaurant on the second floor overlooking a city street. In front of us are various objects used in drinking, which apparently Stuart Davis did a great deal of when he was in Paris.