Art Theory Text with Types A and B Configuration Diagrams 1943

Curator: Here we have Stuart Davis’s “Art Theory Text with Types A and B Configuration Diagrams.” Editor: It looks like a page ripped from a notebook, full of equations and thoughts. Curator: Davis was obsessed with systematizing art. Look at the date at the top, March 1, 1942; this coincides with his deep dive into abstract structure. Editor: It reminds me that artists are thinkers, processing their world, developing theories about its meaning that they then render visually. Curator: Exactly. And to see Davis's process, his wrestling with these ideas, gives us insights into his paintings, as well. Editor: It’s like glimpsing the artist's mind at work. Curator: Precisely, a glimpse at the scaffolding on which a lifetime of paintings would stand.