Art Theory Text with Maximum Ratio Differential Diagram 1955

Curator: Here we have Stuart Davis's small sketch, "Art Theory Text with Maximum Ratio Differential Diagram." It gives the impression of being a sort of diagrammatic note, though its precise purpose remains elusive. Editor: It looks like a cryptic message—the artistic equivalent of a treasure map, maybe? A mad scientist’s blueprint perhaps? Curator: Well, Davis was deeply invested in exploring theoretical underpinnings of abstract art and its relationship to lived experience. Editor: So it’s less about pirates and more about principles, alright. But the handwritten text—"The XRD must be seen on the Square principle"—it has a sort of intuitive rhythm. Curator: Davis was really interrogating the formal structures of visual art. He was always fascinated with the relationship between the abstract and the real. Editor: You know, even without cracking the code, it's cool to see the artist's mind at work. Curator: Absolutely. It reveals how an artist grapples with concepts and condenses his thinking. Editor: Right! It's more about the process, the questioning, than the answer itself.