Art Theory Text with Configuration Diagrams 1942

Curator: This piece, "Art Theory Text with Configuration Diagrams" by Stuart Davis, presents us with a fascinating intersection of text and image. What strikes you about it? Editor: It feels like a manifesto, almost. The handwriting is so assertive, and then there are those little diagrams at the bottom. What was Davis trying to achieve here? Curator: Davis was deeply concerned with the material realities of artmaking. Notice how the handwritten text itself becomes a kind of visual element, almost challenging the supposed divide between "high art" and craft. The diagrams, simple as they are, offer insight into his process of abstracting reality into fundamental shapes. Davis, through this work, seems to be saying that the very act of transcribing and diagramming ideas is integral to the artistic process. What do you make of that? Editor: That makes me think about how much labor goes into creating art, the physical work and thought. I hadn’t considered that before. Thank you! Curator: Absolutely. Considering the making of art is just as important as the finished product.