Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a gouache drawing by Amy Sillman. It dates from 2014 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2014, this untitled work by New York‑based artist Amy Sillman combines pastel and gouache on paper. The composition is dominated by a thick black curve flanked by vivid blue and white strokes, set against a background of muted blues, grays, and a pinkish wash on the right. The surface bears the marks of rapid, gestural application, giving the piece an energetic, unfinished quality.
Subject & Meaning
While the drawing does not depict a recognizable scene, its intersecting lines and color fields suggest a dialogue between abstraction and figuration. The bold, uneven marks convey a sense of humor and self‑deprecation, inviting viewers to consider the tension between artistic control and spontaneous gesture, a recurring theme in Sillman’s practice.
Technique & Style
Sillman employs soft pastels, applying them in layered, smudged strokes that retain a chalky texture, and augments them with opaque gouache washes. The juxtaposition of the pastel’s matte surface with the glossy gouache creates visual contrast, while the loose handling emphasizes process over polished finish, echoing post‑war gestural painting while subverting its conventions.
History & Provenance
The work entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art shortly after its creation, becoming part of MoMA’s holdings of contemporary drawing. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s interest in documenting the evolution of medium‑specific practices among late‑20th‑century American artists.
Context
Sillman’s practice draws on the legacy of American gestural abstraction, yet she interrogates its narratives of mastery and authority. By integrating humor and an intentionally awkward hand, the drawing functions as both homage to and critique of the dominant art historical tropes that shaped mid‑century painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Amy Sillman (born 1955) is a New York-based visual artist, known for process-based paintings that move between abstraction and figuration, and engage nontraditional media including animation, zines and installation.
