Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a graphite drawing by Beatrice Riese. It dates from 2002 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2002, this untitled drawing by Beatrice Riese consists of ink, colored ink, and pencil applied to a light‑toned sheet of paper. The work is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. It presents a stark, geometric composition that divides the surface into two adjacent squares, each filled with dense linear patterns.
Technique & Style
Riese employs tightly packed, hand‑drawn lines that completely occupy each square. The left panel is rendered with thin, wavering strokes in red, green and black, while the right panel consists of an even finer, monochromatic mesh of gray lines that verge on a visual blur. The contrast between colored and grayscale hatching emphasizes the artist’s exploration of line density and surface texture.
Subject & Meaning
The work does not depict recognizable objects; instead it investigates the visual impact of repetitive mark‑making. By juxtaposing colored, undulating lines with a densely cross‑hatched gray field, Riese invites viewers to consider how variation in hue, line thickness, and spacing can alter perception of space and materiality.
History & Provenance
Beatrice Riese completed the drawing in 2002, and it entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings shortly thereafter. The piece remains in the museum’s drawing department, where it is displayed alongside other works that examine abstract line work and the material possibilities of ink and pencil.
Context
Riese’s practice often engages with the language of drawing as a fundamental medium, probing the limits of line as both mark and surface. This untitled piece aligns with early‑2000s investigations into minimal abstraction, where artists reduced composition to basic geometric forms and systematic mark‑making.
Artist & collection
