Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an oil painting by the Pop art artist Evelyne Axell. It dates from 1965 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1965, this untitled oil on canvas by Belgian artist Evelyne Axell is part of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art. The composition presents a vivid, flat color scheme dominated by a bright green background. Two stylized red figures, rendered as simplified silhouettes, appear seated opposite one another at a tabletop that is defined by geometric shapes.
Subject & Meaning
The painting suggests a domestic scene reduced to its essential forms. The red figures, lacking facial detail, function more as symbols of human presence than as individualized portraits. The tabletop is marked by a yellow square containing a floral motif, a solid red circle, and a small orange square with a central dot, hinting at decorative or narrative elements without explicit storytelling.
Technique & Style
Axell employs a flat application of pigment, avoiding chiaroscuro or modeling, which gives the work a graphic, pop‑art sensibility.
Axell employs a flat application of pigment, avoiding chiaroscuro or modeling, which gives the work a graphic, pop‑art sensibility. The outlines are executed with thick, impasto strokes that accentuate the edges of the shapes, creating a tactile contrast between the smooth color fields and the raised contours. This approach emphasizes the painting’s two‑dimensionality while foregrounding its bold color contrasts.
History & Provenance
The work entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings after being acquired in the late 20th century, reflecting the institution’s interest in mid‑century European artists who engaged with popular visual culture. Its inclusion in MoMA’s collection situates Axell’s practice within broader dialogues about gender, consumerism, and the visual language of the 1960s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Evelyne Axell was a Belgian Pop painter. She is best known for her psychedelic, erotic paintings of female nudes and self-portraits on plexiglass that blend the hedonistic and Pop impulses of the 1960s. Elements of the…
