Art Theory Text with Diagrams 1952

Editor: This is a fascinating page by Stuart Davis called "Art Theory Text with Diagrams." It seems to be a collection of handwritten notes. What strikes me is the combination of these abstract shapes up top with the more dense philosophical text below. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see Davis grappling with control. He explores the idea of control as completeness, inclusion, and rational action. It's interesting to consider this in the context of his broader work. Davis was deeply interested in finding ways to merge abstract art with the cultural landscape of urban America and jazz, finding harmony in apparent chaos. This feels like an attempt to codify his approach. Can you see how his embrace of jazz music’s improvisational structure might push back against rigid definitions of "control?" Editor: That's an interesting point. It sounds like he's advocating for a more inclusive and dynamic definition of control, one that embraces change rather than suppresses it. Curator: Precisely! The piece encourages us to think about art as a process of negotiation, rather than a set of fixed rules, and that resonates with current social justice discourses, too.