Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by David Smith. It dates from 1954 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Untitled, a 1954 lithograph by American artist David Smith, resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Executed in black and white, the work presents a dense arrangement of jagged forms, loosely suggesting human figures and contorted arboreal shapes. The composition is marked by a sense of visual tension, with bold outlines set against a largely unfilled background.
Subject & Meaning
The print offers an abstracted vision of figures and vegetation, rendered only as rough silhouettes. The indistinct human outlines and twisted branches evoke a chaotic or unsettled atmosphere, inviting viewers to contemplate themes of distortion and fragmentation without presenting a literal narrative.
Technique & Style
Created through lithography, Smith employed a flat stone surface that holds ink in the drawn areas while leaving the surrounding field light. This process yields the work’s characteristic stark contrasts: assertive, thick lines juxtaposed with expansive white spaces, contributing to the piece’s scribble‑like, uneven texture.
History & Provenance
David Smith produced Untitled in the mid‑1950s, a period when he was expanding his practice beyond sculpture into printmaking. The Museum of Modern Art acquired the lithograph, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings, representing an example of Smith’s exploration of graphic media during that decade.
Artist & collection
Artist
Roland David Smith was an American abstract expressionist sculptor and painter known for creating large steel abstract geometric sculptures.
