Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Ellsworth Kelly. It dates from 1974 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1974, this untitled work is a lithograph that incorporates embossing to give a subtle relief to its central form. It belongs to a set of twenty‑four prints, half of which also employ intaglio techniques. The piece is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition consists of a stark white rectangular field containing a single, smooth black shape that curves gently at its lower edge, suggesting a wave or a shadow. The minimal arrangement focuses attention on the relationship between positive and negative space, inviting contemplation of form without narrative content.
Technique & Style
Kelly achieved the image through lithographic printing, a process that yields clean, flat areas of color. An embossing step raises the black shape slightly above the paper surface, adding a tactile dimension. The work reflects Kelly’s hard‑edge and Color Field sensibilities, emphasizing pure shape and unmodulated color.
History & Provenance
The print was produced as part of a series of twenty‑four lithographs with embossing, twelve of which also incorporate intaglio. Kelly, who lived and worked in Spencertown, New York, created the series alongside contemporaries such as John McLaughlin and Kenneth Noland, who explored similar pared‑down visual vocabularies.
Context
Emerging from the 1960s and 1970s movements of minimalism and Color Field painting, Kelly’s practice reduced visual language to essential elements—line, color, and form. This work exemplifies his commitment to simplicity, using bright, flat hues and geometric precision to investigate perception.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ellsworth Kelly (May 31, 1923 – December 27, 2015) was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with hard-edge painting, Color field painting and minimalism.
