Art Theory Text with Star and Space Division Diagrams 1942

Curator: So, here we have Stuart Davis's "Art Theory Text with Star and Space Division Diagrams." It's undated, but likely from around 1942, consisting of ink and orange crayon on paper. Editor: It feels almost like a coded message. I'm immediately drawn to the scrawled star overlaid on the dense text and blocky little diagrams. Curator: Davis was deeply interested in the theoretical underpinnings of art, as this piece makes evident. Look at his handwritten text; he's trying to articulate something about the relationship between space, color, and artistic structure. Editor: Yes, the star feels like an intuitive interruption, an almost rebellious assertion against the rigidity of his written analysis. Perhaps he felt a need to disrupt his own formalism. Curator: Maybe. It suggests that the "intuitive and improvisational" can exist alongside logical regularities as he notes in the text itself. Editor: For me, this work captures the beautiful tension between intellect and instinct that fuels artistic creation. Curator: Indeed. It's like watching an artist think aloud, struggling to reconcile the felt experience of art with its rational explanation.