Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a graphite drawing by Carolee Schneemann. It dates from 1964 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1964, this paper work by Carolee Schneemann combines pressure‑sensitive tape with pencil marks. The composition consists of a compact sheet densely covered with irregular tape strips and hurried line work, suggesting movement and immediacy. The piece is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection and functions as a preparatory study rather than a finished illustration.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing serves as a visual sketch for Schneemann’s later performance Meat Joy, in which participants interacted with raw meat, paint and plastic. The tape fragments act as stand‑ins for bodies in motion, conveying the kinetic energy and bodily contact that the performance would later embody. The work thus translates a fleeting, physical experience into a static diagram.
Technique & Style
Schneemann employs adhesive tape cut into jagged shapes, layered across the paper’s surface, while pencil strokes trace rapid, gestural lines. The juxtaposition of industrial material with hand‑drawn marks reflects her shift from Abstract Expressionist painting toward a more process‑oriented, experimental approach that foregrounds materiality and immediacy.
History & Provenance
Originally conceived as a study for a 1964 performance, the drawing entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings as part of its effort to document Schneemann’s early experimental practice. The work remains in MoMA’s collection, illustrating the artist’s transition from painterly training to performance‑based investigations of the body.
Context
During the early 1960s Schneemann moved away from the dominant Abstract Expressionist idiom, aligning herself with avant‑garde circles that questioned visual conventions and gender norms. The piece reflects broader artistic trends that embraced unconventional media and incorporated personal, political, and bodily concerns into the visual arts.
Artist & collection
Artist
Carolee Schneemann (October 12, 1939 – March 6, 2019) was an American visual experimental artist, known for her multi-media works on the body, narrative, sexuality and gender.
Untitled
Sheet of Studies
Man carrying a child
Sketch of Anatomical Sculpture (recto) Sketch of Madame Cézanne (verso)
Courtesan (recto) Figure Sketches (verso)
Soldier in a Trench (recto) Reclining Woman (verso)
Two Studies for "The Judgement of Paris" or "The Amorous Shepherd"
Untitled
Crochiu 7
Untitled
Sketches of Indian figures