Color-Space Diagrams 1941

Curator: Stuart Davis' "Color-Space Diagrams," held at the Harvard Art Museums, presents what looks like a map for understanding dimensions. Editor: It feels almost mystical, like a medieval alchemist's guide to transmuting matter and spirit through color. Curator: The diagrammatic structure—the squares and connecting lines—lays bare an effort to organize and categorize color relationships. He's presenting the raw architecture of visual experience. Editor: The handwritten notes suggest an intensely personal exploration of how color impacts perception—linking color to direction, size, and shape hints at a symbolic key to unlocking deeper understanding. Curator: Indeed. And the second diagram visualizes the first, but from a perspective suggesting an application of the scheme. The use of simple lines, handwritten labels, is quite revealing about his process. Editor: It’s a fascinating glimpse into an artist's mind, where color isn’t just pigment but a portal. Curator: Precisely. A blueprint for seeing.