Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Gertrude Greene. It dates from 1937 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Each print in the series is rendered in black and white, emphasizing geometric forms and precise linework.
Untitled is one of thirty-one lithographs produced by Gertrude Greene in 1937. Each print in the series is rendered in black and white, emphasizing geometric forms and precise linework. The work belongs to The Museum of Modern Art’s collection and reflects Greene’s engagement with abstraction during the late 1930s, a period when she increasingly moved away from representational imagery toward structured, minimalist compositions.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a simplified plow, its handle, wheel, and blade rendered as clean, unshaded lines. Above it, a small architectural element—resembling a window with a circular form and horizontal bar—suggests a structural or mechanical context. The subject is stripped of narrative detail, inviting interpretation as a symbol of labor, industry, or the intersection of tool and form, rather than a literal depiction.
Technique & Style
Greene employed lithography, a printmaking process that allows for fine, sharp lines by drawing directly onto a stone or metal plate. The absence of tone or shading underscores her commitment to clarity and reduction. The composition’s austerity and reliance on contour align with the broader modernist interest in abstraction and industrial aesthetics, emphasizing structure over ornamentation.
History & Provenance
Created in 1937, Untitled is part of a cohesive portfolio of thirty-one lithographs that Greene produced during a period of formal experimentation. The entire series entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection in the decades following its creation, where it remains as a representative example of American modernist printmaking. No evidence suggests the work was exhibited publicly prior to its acquisition by the museum.
Context
Greene’s work from this period coincided with the rise of American abstraction and the influence of European modernism, particularly Constructivism and De Stijl. While many of her contemporaries focused on urban or social themes, Greene turned to elemental forms—tools, machines, architectural fragments—as subjects for formal inquiry, reflecting a broader shift toward non-representational art in the interwar years.
Legacy
Though Greene is less widely known than some of her peers, her lithographic series from 1937 remains a significant contribution to American modernist printmaking. The restrained aesthetic and conceptual clarity of Untitled exemplify a quiet but deliberate engagement with abstraction, influencing later generations of artists interested in the intersection of industrial form and minimalist composition.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gertrude Glass Greene was an abstract sculptor and painter from New York City. Gertrude and her husband, artist Balcomb Greene, were heavily involved in political activism to promote mainstream acceptance of abstract…
