Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Eduardo A. MacEntyre. It dates from 1973 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Working primarily in print and painting, he developed a visual language centered on precise forms and layered compositions.
Eduardo Mac Entyre, born in Buenos Aires in 1929 to a Scottish father and Belgian mother, produced this 1973 screenprint as part of his sustained exploration of geometric abstraction. Working primarily in print and painting, he developed a visual language centered on precise forms and layered compositions. This work exemplifies his mature style, characterized by structured arrangements of circular motifs and restrained color palettes, executed through the screenprinting technique to achieve uniformity and clarity.
Subject & Meaning
The composition consists entirely of overlapping circles, varying in size and arranged without hierarchical emphasis. Within each circle, fine intersecting lines form intricate web-like networks, suggesting systems of connection or internal order. The absence of figurative elements shifts focus to rhythm, balance, and spatial relationships. The work invites contemplation of structure and harmony rather than narrative, reflecting Mac Entyre’s interest in mathematical and organic patterns coexisting in visual form.
Technique & Style
Screenprinting allowed Mac Entyre to produce flat, even fields of color with sharp edges, essential to his geometric aesthetic. Soft tones of light blue, pale green, and warm orange are layered with precision, creating subtle depth without gradient. The crisscrossing internal lines, drawn with consistent weight, contrast the smooth perimeters of the circles. This method emphasized reproducibility and control, aligning with his broader commitment to systematic composition over expressive brushwork.
History & Provenance
Mac Entyre began exhibiting in Buenos Aires in 1954 at the Comte Art Gallery and gradually gained institutional recognition in Argentina. By the early 1970s, his geometric works were included in national collections and international group shows. This screenprint, dated 1973, emerged during a period of heightened activity in printmaking among Latin American artists. While specific ownership history is not documented here, its inclusion in major museum collections suggests its significance within his oeuvre.
Context
In the early 1970s, Argentine artists were navigating political instability while engaging with international movements like Concrete and Neo-Concrete art. Mac Entyre’s work aligned with these currents, emphasizing rational form and non-representational structure. His early studies of Old Master techniques gave way to a modernist focus on geometry, influenced by European abstraction and local avant-garde circles. This print reflects a broader regional trend toward formal purity and industrial print methods in postwar Latin American art.
Legacy
Mac Entyre’s screenprints, including this one, contributed to the legitimization of printmaking as a serious medium in Argentine modernism. His systematic use of circles and grids influenced subsequent generations of artists exploring structure and repetition. Though less widely known outside Latin America, his work remains referenced in studies of geometric abstraction in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly for its quiet precision and restrained chromatic harmony.
Artist & collection
Artist
Eduardo Mac Entyre (20 February 1929 – 5 May 2014) was an Argentine artist known for his geometric paintings.
