Art Theory Text with Sketch 1949

Editor: So, this is Stuart Davis's "Art Theory Text with Sketch," date unknown, held at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a sketch in ink on paper, full of handwritten thoughts on art itself! What strikes me is the emphasis on craftsmanship, even while questioning its role. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This piece exposes Davis's material engagement with art. We see the physical act of writing and sketching – the labor involved in formulating his artistic philosophy. How does this emphasis on process, on the making, challenge our understanding of "high art" versus "craft?" Editor: It makes me think about how Davis viewed the work of the artist: was it more intellectual, more about the doing, or both? Curator: Precisely. And consider the social context: Davis, working during the rise of industrialization, grapples with the "mechanical" versus the "spontaneous." The text reveals an artist deeply engaged with the means of artistic production. Editor: I see that contrast more clearly now. The tension between the intellectual concept and the physical act of creation really comes through. Curator: Exactly. It gives us insight into the artist's struggle with defining art itself.