Study for "Ursine Park" c. 1942

Curator: This is Stuart Davis’s “Study for ‘Ursine Park,’” a preparatory sketch now held at the Harvard Art Museums. It provides a glimpse into Davis’s creative process. Editor: It strikes me as quite chaotic at first glance. The composition is dense with lines and geometric shapes, all rendered in a stark, almost nervous, manner. Curator: Davis, deeply influenced by his time and by the socio-political landscape, used sketches like this to explore how urban and commercial environments could be translated into abstraction. Editor: Indeed. Look at how he reduces architectural forms to simple lines and planes. The visual language becomes a symbolic representation of urban spaces. Curator: This work speaks to the early 20th-century experience. It captures the energy of American modernity through its very fragmentation. Editor: For me, beyond the historical context, it is the tension between representation and abstraction that is most captivating. Curator: A vital glimpse into Davis’s exploration of a distinctly American visual vocabulary. Editor: A visual puzzle. One that leaves me eager to see how this study evolved into the final work.