Art Theory Text with Types A and B Configuration Diagrams 1943

Curator: This work is titled "Art Theory Text with Types A and B Configuration Diagrams" by Stuart Davis, created in 1943. It's currently part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It feels almost like a blueprint, a deconstruction of pictorial space into basic components. The materiality seems humble, paper and ink, yet it hints at complex ideas. Curator: Davis's interest in structure and form is so evident here. He's dissecting how a picture is built, reducing it to line, color, and basic spatial relationships. What do you make of his choice of words and diagrams? Editor: The labor involved in hand-drawing these diagrams, the act of writing itself, reveals an artist deeply engaged with the fundamentals of making. It's fascinating how he breaks down visual language to its material essence. Curator: Absolutely. Davis saw art-making as a process of intellectual exploration, and this piece gives us a glimpse into his artistic thinking. It challenges the notion of art as solely aesthetic, highlighting its conceptual underpinnings. Editor: It's a raw, unfiltered look into the artist’s mind, laying bare the bones of artistic creation. It makes you appreciate the effort and thought that goes into creating art.