Art Theory Text with Maximum Ratio Differential Diagrams 1955

Curator: Here we have "Art Theory Text with Maximum Ratio Differential Diagrams," a small sketch by Stuart Davis. Editor: It feels like a coded message—almost playful, yet somehow deeply serious in its own language. Curator: Exactly. Davis is diagramming art theory, the very nuts and bolts of his compositional method using rudimentary shapes and text. The "Line-Position Method," as he puts it. Editor: What strikes me is the arrow pointing up from the words "This drawing is a plan for a Drawing." It feels like a symbolic arrow, almost directing us towards transcendence. Curator: It’s a schematic drawing to reveal the hidden structure underpinning the artwork. Editor: Davis invites us to witness the genesis of the art. I find that profound. Curator: A rare look behind the curtain of creative thought. Editor: It's an unexpected, but welcome, glimpse of the artist at work.