Art Theory Text with Types A and B Configuration Diagrams 1943

Curator: Stuart Davis, best known for his jazzy, abstract paintings, also produced theoretical writings. This work, "Art Theory Text with Types A and B Configuration Diagrams," is dated March 22, 1943. Editor: Immediately, the handwritten text gives this piece a very personal feel. It seems less like a formal theory and more like a set of notes jotted down in the heat of the moment. Curator: It's fascinating to see Davis grapple with concepts like "configuration isolates." He defines them as a series of colors in positional relationship. We can think about what impact these considerations must have had on the material execution of his painting practice. Editor: And there's a material element here, too. The writing, the paper... What kind of labor went into producing art theory? And how was that labor valued? Curator: Precisely. His diagrams of A and B configurations, even in their simplicity, reveal an attempt to codify and understand the underlying structure of his visual language. How fascinating to see him explore these ideas on paper. Editor: Thinking about the time, 1943, during the height of World War II, I wonder how these "configuration isolates" offered a form of personal or artistic stability amidst global turmoil. Curator: A compelling thought! It gives this seemingly academic exercise a deeper human resonance. Editor: Indeed.