Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Sigmar Polke Gerhard Richter. It dates from 1968 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The bottom row has two blurry shapes—one looks like a stretched circle, the other a faint glow.
This image shows four black-and-white squares. The top row has three photos of a snowy mountain, each slightly different. The bottom row has two blurry shapes—one looks like a stretched circle, the other a faint glow.
The text below says these images were changed over two hours in 1968. The mountain photos were turned into abstract shapes.
Look up lithography next to see how this kind of printmaking works.
Overview
Untitled is a 1968 offset lithograph by German artists Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter, currently part of The Museum of Modern Art's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The print features two distinct rows of imagery. The top row displays three variant black-and-white photographs of a snowy mountain, while the bottom row contains two abstract, blurry forms—a distorted circular shape and a faint, glowing form. Accompanying text indicates the transformation of the mountain images into abstract shapes over a two-hour period in 1968, exploring the manipulation of representation.
Technique & Style
Utilizing offset lithography, the artists leveraged the printmaking technique's capabilities to produce multiple, slightly varied images efficiently. The juxtaposition of photographic realism (in the mountain scenes) with abstract, blurred forms reflects the artists' experimentation with perception and the medium's inherent reproducibility.
History & Provenance
Created in 1968, the work is now held in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, testifying to its significance within late 20th-century European art movements.
Context
Emerging from the 1960s German art scene, this piece intersects with broader movements questioning representation and the role of the image in contemporary society, characteristic of the period's avant-garde.
Legacy
Untitled reflects Polke and Richter's influential exploration of image manipulation and perception, contributing to the evolution of conceptual and postmodern artistic practices in Europe.
Artist & collection
