Art Theory Text with Sketch 1949

Curator: The Harvard Art Museums hold this intriguing ink sketch by Stuart Davis titled "Art Theory Text with Sketch." Editor: It feels like a blueprint, almost technical, yet the hand-written text anchors it to a more personal, philosophical space. Curator: Davis explores the notion that subject matter lacks intrinsic importance in art, but remains as interesting as any drawing ever made. The symbols he uses, the shapes...they are not inherently meaningful, but their arrangement... Editor: ...creates meaning! It is the artist's hand, his decisions that imbue the mundane with symbolic weight. He wants to challenge academic hierarchies, the idea that some subjects are inherently more "worthy" than others. Curator: Exactly. And it challenges us to look beyond the obvious, to find resonance in the simplest forms. Editor: A powerful statement, really, about the democratization of art, and the power of artistic vision.