Sketch 1962

Curator: This is "Sketch," a work by Stuart Davis, part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It hits me as a kind of deconstructed cityscape, you know, like a jazz riff on urban architecture. Curator: Indeed, the structure adheres to a carefully calibrated arrangement of horizontal and vertical lines. The positive and negative space perform in a dynamic equilibrium. Editor: I love how the thick, almost clumsy lines give it a raw, spontaneous feel. That little squiggly bit in the middle adds a playful touch. It's like the soul of the city wiggling through the concrete. Curator: That calligraphic element introduces a vital tension, disrupting the otherwise rigid grid. One sees the seeds of Davis's later engagement with Cubism and abstraction. Editor: Right. It's a fascinating glimpse into his process, a blueprint for the wild symphonies he’d later conduct on canvas. Curator: Precisely. A testament to how a simple sketch can reveal the complex workings of an artist's mind. Editor: It’s funny how something so minimal can feel so full of possibility.