Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor drawing by Alfred Jensen. It dates from 1960 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Alfred Jensen's *Untitled* (1960) is a mixed-media drawing combining cut-and-pasted paper, watercolor, gouache, ink, and pencil on paper. Characterized by a patchwork of small geometric shapes, the work embodies Jensen's abstract style.
Subject & Meaning
The composition's structured arrangement of shapes and colors, with contrasting top (white with black scribbles) and bottom (boldly colored zigzag pattern) halves, reflects Jensen's practice of 'concrete abstraction,' where organized forms convey complex conceptual layers.
Technique & Style
Jensen employed a hybrid technique, starting with paper cutouts (evident in messy edges and overlaps) and then manually adding ink, watercolor, gouache, and pencil elements. The result blends collage's tactile quality with precise, geometric abstraction.
History & Provenance
Created in 1960, *Untitled* is part of Alfred Jensen's oeuvre of grid-based, numerically and calligraphically informed abstract works. The piece is currently held in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art.
Context
Within Jensen's broader output, *Untitled* exemplifies his exploration of structured, conceptually driven abstraction, aligning with mid-20th-century movements that emphasized geometric form and process.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alfred Julio Jensen (11 December 1903 – 4 April 1981) was an abstract painter. His paintings are often characterized by grids of brightly colored triangles, circles or squares, painted in thick impasto. Conveying a…
