Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a paint painting by the Abstract Expressionist artist Conrad Marca-Relli. It dates from 1954 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Conrad Marca-Relli's 1954 painting, Untitled, is a collage of painted canvas fragments. It exemplifies the artist's innovative approach to abstract composition, characteristic of the New York School Abstract Expressionists.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts two simplified figures, one reclining and one seated, rendered in muted tones of off-white, tan, and brown. The forms are abstracted, with rough edges where the collaged pieces meet.
Technique & Style
Marca-Relli employed a collage technique, reusing actual painted canvas scraps and adhering them to a new canvas. The resulting texture is raw and uneven, with visible thick brushstrokes.
Context
Untitled reflects the postwar prominence of the New York School Abstract Expressionists, a group that included artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.
Artist & collection
Artist
Conrad Marca-Relli (born Corrado Marcarelli; June 5, 1913 – August 29, 2000) was an American artist who belonged to the early generation of New York School Abstract Expressionist artists whose artistic innovation by the…
