Odol
Stuart Davis
American, 1892–1964
1924
A painted depiction of an Odol mouthwash bottle in which Stuart Davis uses oil on cardboard to turn a mundane commercial product into a compact, graphic modernist emblem.
You first notice its punchy, flattened forms and chunky three‑dimensional lettering—a tilted frame, stark black outlines and a green‑and‑white checkerboard push the bottle forward like a billboard frozen in motion.
By bringing advertising aesthetics and Cubist flattening into fine art, Davis helped redirect American modernism toward everyday urban commerce and anticipated the visual language of Pop Art.
Medium
Oil on cardboard
Dimensions
24 x 18" (60.9 x 45.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Mary Sisler Bequest (by exchange) and purchase
Accession
645.1997
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
