The Physics of the Brush: Davidsonian Temporalism in Practice
Introduction
Developed at 2 Dogs Art Space in Akashi, Japan, Peter Davidson’s theory of Davidsonian Temporalism frames painting as a dialogue between physics and delay. Extending this framework, The Physics of the Brush treats each stroke as both a mechanical event and a temporal displacement, situating artistic practice at the intersection of matter and memory.
The Material Dimension
On the material side, the brush is governed by the laws of viscosity, velocity, and pressure.
• Paint flows according to fluid dynamics.
• Bristles splay under stress.
• Speed alters continuity.
These physical constraints are not obstacles but the medium of expression itself, mastered through embodied practice. The artist’s hand becomes a laboratory where physics is not resisted but harnessed.
The Temporal Dimension
Davidson’s hypothesis asserts that all artistic action is delayed. Every stroke responds to a perception already past, stratified into layers of delay:
• Physical delay: the time of signal transfer.
• Cognitive delay: the time of recognition.
• Artistic delay: the time of deliberation.
Style emerges in the length of pause: spontaneity in the short delay, control in the long. Delay is not a weakness but the generative condition of art.
Closed-Loop Feedback
Together, these dimensions form a closed-loop feedback system: perception at time , delayed processing, and action at . The canvas becomes a living equation of physics and cognition, where each mark is simultaneously matter and memory.
Practice at 2 Dogs Art Space
At 2 Dogs Art Space, this theory is not abstract but lived. It is tested in practice, articulated in exhibitions, and shared as a framework for understanding painting as the interplay of body, material, and time within the generative space of delay and influence.
Research Context
This ongoing research is sustained through collaboration and technology. I rely on AI from different sources and friends who help check and recheck my work, alongside my own investigations. Because I live with moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss, this network of support enables my day-to-day practice. My research is independent, unfunded, and rooted in the lived environment of 2 Dogs Art Space in Akashi, Japan.
Conclusion
The Physics of the Brush reframes painting as a negotiation with both physics and time. Each stroke is a mechanical event shaped by viscosity and velocity, and a temporal displacement shaped by delay. In this way, painting becomes not only an act of creation but a dialogue with the past, a choreography of matter and memory, and a lived equation of perception and response.
