Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Anthony Harrison. It dates from 1955 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Harrison made this in 1955, but the museum lists his birth year as 1965—so either the date or the birth year is wrong.
You see a dark, grainy print of a single lit lamp on a table, its glow barely cutting through the black around it.
Harrison made this in 1955, but the museum lists his birth year as 1965—so either the date or the birth year is wrong. The quiet mistake makes the work feel stranger, like a ghost that slipped through the records.
To see how light can feel this lonely, look up the technique called chiaroscuro.
Overview
Untitled is an aquatint print produced in 1955 by the artist Anthony Harrison. The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. It presents a solitary lamp on a table, rendered in a dark, grainy manner, with the lamp’s faint illumination struggling against an encompassing blackness.
Subject & Meaning
The image isolates a single source of light, a lamp, whose glow appears tenuous and almost swallowed by surrounding darkness. This visual tension invites contemplation of solitude and the fragile presence of illumination within an otherwise void environment, echoing themes often explored through stark light‑and‑shadow contrasts.
Technique & Style
Created through the aquatint process, the print achieves a textured, tonal quality that emphasizes the murky background and the subtle radiance of the lamp. The method allows for a range of grays, producing a grainy surface that enhances the atmospheric mood, reminiscent of chiaroscuro’s dramatic interplay of light and shadow.
History & Provenance
The piece entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings, though documentation contains an inconsistency: the museum’s records list Harrison’s birth year as 1965, which conflicts with the 1955 creation date. This discrepancy highlights a clerical error rather than an artistic intention, yet it adds an odd, ghost‑like note to the work’s archival trail.
Context
Mid‑century printmaking often explored abstracted realism and the psychological impact of light. Harrison’s choice of a solitary lamp aligns with contemporary investigations into isolation and perception, situating the work within broader post‑war artistic concerns about the individual’s place in an increasingly ambiguous world.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anthony Harrison is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL).
