Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a gouache drawing by Ben-Zion. It dates from 1943 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
” The title tells you what the marks are trying to say, even if the image stays abstract.
You see jagged black lines and smudges of dark red gouache on a pale paper ground. The shapes feel like broken bodies or torn buildings.
Ben-Zion made this in 1943, right after word of the Nazi massacres reached New York. He called the series *De Profundis*—Latin for “from the depths.” The title tells you what the marks are trying to say, even if the image stays abstract.
Look up *gouache* to see how this chalky, opaque watercolor can hold both rage and grief.
Overview
Created in 1943, this untitled drawing combines gouache and ink on a light paper support. Jagged black strokes intersect with smudged areas of deep red pigment, forming a composition that suggests fragmented forms. The work is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection and reflects the artist’s response to the wartime climate of the early 1940s.
Subject & Meaning
Although abstract, the intersecting lines and bruised red washes evoke the sense of broken structures or dismembered figures, hinting at trauma and loss. The piece belongs to a series titled *De Profundis*, a Latin phrase meaning “from the depths,” indicating an intention to convey profound grief and emotional upheaval without depicting literal scenes.
Technique & Style
The artist employed gouache, an opaque watercolor medium, alongside ink, allowing for both vivid, matte color fields and sharp, gestural lines. The contrast between the dense, smudged reds and the crisp black marks creates a tension characteristic of expressionist drawing, where materiality and mark‑making serve as primary conveyors of feeling.
History & Provenance
The work was produced shortly after reports of the Holocaust reached New York, situating it within a period of intense artistic reaction to global atrocities. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings through acquisition in the mid‑20th century and remains catalogued as an untitled piece by Ben‑Zion, a Russian‑born American artist associated with the expressionist collective known as “The Ten.”
Artist & collection
Artist
Ben-Zion, also known as Ben-Zion Weinman (July 8, 1897 – January 23, 1987) was a Russian-born American painter, printmaker, sculptor, educator, and poet. He was a member of "The Ten" group of expressionist artists.
