Art Theory Text with Sketch 1952

Editor: This is Stuart Davis's "Art Theory Text with Sketch." It's a pretty small drawing, and I'm struck by the words at the bottom: "Only Exercise of Will is Secure." How do you interpret this work? Curator: Knowing Davis's leftist politics, the phrase resonates with the struggle for social change. The abstract forms above might represent the will's power to deconstruct and reconstruct societal structures. Editor: So, the sketch visualizes the active force of willpower? Curator: Precisely. Think about the socio-political context he was working in; Davis might be suggesting that security doesn't come from institutions, but from the collective will to challenge them. It’s about agency. Editor: I never would have thought of that! It’s incredible how much history can be packed into a small sketch. Curator: Indeed! And art gives us the agency to unpack it.