Larry Day, Poker Game

This work is from a series of preparatory drawings for Poker Game (1970). It is evidence of Day's process of experimenting with imagery and reconfiguring the relationships between elements within his tableaus. Figures shift positions around the table. An additional character appears and is then eliminated. The perspectival view into the space pivots, shifting from one side of the room to another. The remarkably rich series of drawings shows us that every element in Poker Game, as in all of Day's paintings, is deliberately rendered and placed, such that his finished compositions exhibit ease and confidence.