Art Theory Text with Color-Space Diagram 1942

Editor: So, this is Stuart Davis's "Art Theory Text with Color-Space Diagram," created on paper, and dated 5/4/42. It looks like a handwritten note with a diagram. How do you interpret this work, considering its focus on color? Curator: As a materialist, I look at this piece as Davis wrestling with the means of production. He's reducing color to its basic components – black and white – almost as if to deconstruct the very act of painting. Do you see how the diagram echoes his exploration of color as a material constraint? Editor: It's interesting how he combines the diagram with his own written theory. Almost like he's workshopping in public. Curator: Exactly! The materiality of thought itself is on display here. It blurs boundaries between artistic intention, the labor of writing, and the social context of artistic creation during the 1940s. It forces us to consider what constitutes art, really. Editor: I see it now. Thanks, that's a great perspective!