Art Theory Text with Star and Space Division Diagrams 1942

Curator: Stuart Davis scribbled this note, "Art Theory Text with Star and Space Division Diagrams," onto a small sheet on November 14, 1942. It’s an attempt, I think, to articulate something about the relationship between color and shape. Editor: Well, it’s wonderfully messy, isn't it? The handwriting is hurried, almost frantic, like he’s trying to capture a fleeting thought. It gives you the sense that it was incredibly important to him to write it all down. Curator: Absolutely, he’s wrestling with how to identify color with space, which, as he writes here, is revolutionary. It’s that constant push in his work to find the underlying structure of visual experience. He's searching for a visual language, in a way. Editor: I read this text as a radical proposition against representational art. He seeks a painting style where the abstract qualities of color and form are not secondary to the subject. Davis aims for an egalitarian visual field. Curator: A field where colors and shapes dance, each holding its own weight. And I love the raw intimacy of the sketch, a direct line to his artistic process. It feels like a whispered secret. Editor: It's a beautiful testament to the artist's struggle. These notes remind us that art isn't just about the finished product but the messy, complicated thinking behind it.