Sequence Analysis Diagram 1951

Curator: This is Stuart Davis's "Sequence Analysis Diagram," a sketch currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a secret code, doesn't it? Like a blueprint for some sort of… abstract machine? Curator: Davis was deeply interested in structure, in how we perceive and order information. Look at the geometry, the arrangement of the squares and lines. Editor: The handwritten title really sells the whole analytical vibe. I'm curious, though, what "sequence" he's diagramming. Curator: Perhaps the sequence of perception itself? Or the structure of a painting before he even put brush to canvas. It is a window into his thought process. Editor: It's so simple, yet it makes me think about how we organize the chaos of the world into neat little boxes—or, in this case, squares. Curator: Absolutely. Davis uses familiar shapes to explore how we create meaning from even the most basic elements. It’s a dance of order and potential. Editor: It's wild how a few lines on paper can ignite so many questions. I’ll be pondering this one all day.