Color Diagram 1962

Curator: This is Stuart Davis's "Color Diagram," a small study residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s intriguing. The immediate impression is of a puzzle, or perhaps some kind of coded message rendered in bold strokes. Curator: Davis made this preparatory sketch, which is rendered in ink on paper, as a means of planning the color composition for a later work. It’s an interesting insight into his process. Editor: Knowing that it is about color transforms my perception of this diagram as purely formal. The lettering "BK," "G," "R," and "W" point beyond the visual elements toward a symbolic language, like a map to a hidden world of color associations. Curator: Exactly. Davis used his art to engage with the world around him, responding to socio-political forces, and exploring ways to make sense of the modern landscape. Editor: Ultimately, this piece invites us to deconstruct the relationship between color, language, and abstraction, provoking questions about how we categorize and understand our world through visual and linguistic systems. Curator: Indeed, and recognizing the role of art as a way of translating and interpreting the world, even in a seemingly simple sketch, is powerful. Editor: Yes, it reminds us that art can be a tool for critical inquiry and reimagining our perception of reality.