Octagon Color-Space Diagrams 1941

Editor: This is Stuart Davis's "Octagon Color-Space Diagrams," a pencil sketch on paper from 1941. It almost looks like a blueprint, a technical drawing. What strikes you about Davis's approach here? Curator: Davis's exploration of color and form is fascinating, especially when considering the socio-political context of 1941. He's diagramming color relationships, but it also feels like a search for order amidst chaos, a theme prevalent during wartime. What does the "Octagon" suggest to you? Editor: Maybe a way to contain or define something undefinable, like emotion or experience? Curator: Precisely! This aligns with the anxieties of the era, where artists were grappling with societal upheaval and seeking new visual languages to express the changing world. Editor: So it's not just about color theory; it's about reflecting the times. Curator: Exactly. It makes you see the image as more than just a sketch.