Art Theory Text with Color-Space Position Diagram 1941

Curator: Stuart Davis, born in 1892, created this work, "Art Theory Text with Color-Space Position Diagram." It's currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It looks like a hastily scribbled note, with a diagram of a box and then handwritten text; almost a stream of consciousness. Curator: Precisely, the text describes "drawing, objectway" as lateral placement on a plane, juxtaposing objective measure against subjective interpretation, quite characteristic of the period's concerns around abstraction. Editor: The diagram at the top points to the core concepts of position, direction, size, and color. Are these intended as building blocks for his artistic language, his symbols? Curator: Indeed. Davis was deeply concerned with creating a distinctively American visual language, pulling from the urban environment. The diagram represents, perhaps, the structure beneath his improvisational style. Editor: So, it's not just a sketch, but a peek into his artistic manifesto! Fascinating how such a simple diagram can hold so much weight. Curator: Absolutely. It provides a framework for appreciating the formal rigor underlying his seemingly spontaneous compositions.