Art Theory Text with Sketch 1952

Editor: Here we have Stuart Davis’s *Art Theory Text with Sketch*. It's a drawing, although the exact media isn't specified. There's text and a diagrammatic sketch. What strikes me is the contrast between the almost scientific attempt at explaining art and the freehand sketch above. What do you make of this piece? Curator: The text and sketch offer insight into Davis's artistic process. Consider the materials: inexpensive paper, pen – readily available tools. This connects to a larger question: how did Davis see the "production" of art, the labor involved, and its relation to the everyday “metabolism” he mentions? It’s a challenge to high art notions. Editor: So, you see his theory as a way to ground art in everyday making? It's less about inspiration and more about process and material conditions? Curator: Precisely. The very act of writing and sketching, the materials used, challenge the romantic view of artistic creation. Davis seems to be exploring a materialist approach to art theory. Editor: That makes me think about the inaccessibility of his language in contrast to the apparent simplicity of the sketch. Curator: Yes, precisely! His words obscure the artistic and material gesture. A fitting end to our discussion, don’t you think?