Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Adolph Gottlieb. It dates from 1942 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Untitled is an early 1940s etching by American artist Adolph Gottlieb, dated approximately 1942. The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it is displayed as an example of Gottlieb’s pre‑Abstract Expressionist printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on an abstracted face constructed from circles and linear marks, surrounded by amorphous, blob‑like shapes. The surrounding forms resist literal identification, suggesting a tension between recognizable human features and ambiguous, organic masses.
Technique & Style
Executed as an intaglio etching, the image was created by incising lines and areas into a metal plate, then inking and pressing the plate onto paper. The print displays a stark black‑and‑white palette, with cross‑hatched rectangles forming a grid‑like background that contrasts with the freer, gestural marks of the central figure.
History & Provenance
The piece was produced around 1942, a period when Gottlieb was transitioning from figurative work toward the symbolic abstraction that would define his later career. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings through acquisition (or donation) and remains in the museum’s permanent collection.
Context
Created during World War II, the work reflects the era’s broader artistic shift toward abstraction and experimentation with print media. Gottlieb’s use of fragmented facial elements and non‑representational forms aligns with contemporary explorations of inner psychology and the breakdown of conventional representation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Adolph Gottlieb was an American abstract expressionist painter who also made sculpture and became a printmaker.
