Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Ed Moses. It dates from 1968 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
You see a tangle of black lines on white paper—some thick, some thin, some jagged, some smooth.
You see a tangle of black lines on white paper—some thick, some thin, some jagged, some smooth.
Moses made this in 1968 at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles. That year, lithography was still a fresh way for artists to play with ink and stone. The lines look like they were drawn fast, but each one is actually pressed from a flat stone. The speed is an illusion.
If you like how ink can feel alive, look up lithography.
Overview
Untitled is a 1968 lithograph by Ed Moses, characterized by a complex arrangement of black lines varying in thickness, jaggedness, and smoothness on a white background, currently part of The Museum of Modern Art's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The subject of Untitled is abstract, focusing on the expressive potential of line work rather than representational content. The dynamic interplay of lines may evoke a sense of energetic spontaneity.
Technique & Style
Despite the appearance of rapid execution, each line was meticulously transferred from a flat stone at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, highlighting the lithographic process's capacity for nuanced, expressive mark-making.
History & Provenance
Created in 1968 during a period when lithography was emerging as a versatile medium for artistic experimentation, Untitled reflects Moses's engagement with this relatively novel technique at the time.
Context
Produced within the vibrant Los Angeles art scene, Untitled situates itself within the broader context of 1960s abstract and process-oriented art movements, where the emphasis was on the physical act of creation and the properties of materials.
Legacy
As part of MoMA's collection, Untitled contributes to the institutional recognition of Ed Moses's contributions to abstract printmaking and the evolution of lithography as a modern artistic medium.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ed Moses was an American artist based in Los Angeles and a central figure of postwar West Coast art.
