Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor drawing by David Salle. It dates from 1980 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
This 1980 work on paper by David Salle combines synthetic polymer paint, watercolor, and pencil. Part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection, it exemplifies Salle’s early approach to figuration, where rapid execution and layered imagery produce an effect of immediacy and fragmentation.
Subject & Meaning
Two figures dominate the composition: a vertical, green form resembling knotted rope, and a seated, red-and-pink figure holding a cigarette. The latter appears derived from classical statuary, yet its proportions and posture are deliberately distorted. A faint blue car and a small head in the background introduce secondary, disjointed elements, suggesting a narrative or temporal rupture.
Technique & Style
Salle’s technique merges loose, gestural lines with flat, saturated color fields. Watercolor bleeds into synthetic polymer, creating uneven textures and accidental edges. The drawing’s speed is evident in the unrefined contours and overlapping forms, reflecting an aesthetic indebted to both Abstract Expressionism and Pop art’s appropriative strategies.
History & Provenance
Created in 1980, the work entered The Museum of Modern Art’s holdings as part of its expanding collection of contemporary American art. Salle’s rise during this period coincided with the broader revival of figurative painting in New York, positioning this piece within a pivotal moment of artistic experimentation.
Context
The drawing emerges from a scene where artists sought to reconcile abstraction with representation. Salle’s practice of collaging disparate images—here, a classical fragment alongside mundane motifs—challenged conventional hierarchies of subject matter, reflecting the era’s skepticism toward grand narratives in art.
Artist & collection
Artist
David Salle is an American Postmodern painter, printmaker, photographer, and stage designer.
