Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Grace Hartigan. It dates from 1964 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Produced using the lithographic process, it relies on ink transferred from a carved stone surface onto paper.
Created in 1964, this black-and-white lithograph is one of seven prints in a series by Grace Hartigan. Produced using the lithographic process, it relies on ink transferred from a carved stone surface onto paper. The work lacks a descriptive title, inviting attention to its formal qualities rather than narrative content. Its abstract composition resists figuration, emphasizing gesture and texture over recognizable imagery.
Subject & Meaning
The print presents no identifiable subject, instead offering a dense field of energetic marks. Overlapping strokes, smudges, and angular lines suggest movement and tension without depicting objects or figures. The absence of a title reinforces an emphasis on process and materiality, positioning the work as an exploration of visual energy rather than symbolic representation.
Technique & Style
Hartigan employed lithography to achieve a spontaneous, hand-drawn aesthetic. The thick, irregular lines and blurred edges mimic the immediacy of brushwork, despite the print medium’s mechanical nature. The contrast between sharp, jagged forms and soft, smudged areas creates visual friction, reflecting her interest in translating the dynamism of Abstract Expressionist painting into print.
History & Provenance
The work entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art shortly after its creation. As part of a limited series, it reflects Hartigan’s engagement with printmaking during a period when she was expanding beyond canvas into other media. Its inclusion in a major institution underscores its significance within her broader practice of the 1960s.
Context
Made during the height of Abstract Expressionism’s influence, the print aligns with a generation of artists exploring non-representational forms. Hartigan, though often associated with the New York School, brought a distinctly personal urgency to her prints. This work shares affinities with contemporaneous experiments in gestural abstraction across painting and print media.
Legacy
The print contributes to a broader reevaluation of printmaking as a vehicle for expressive abstraction, not merely reproduction. Hartigan’s use of lithography to capture the rawness of brushwork challenged traditional distinctions between painting and print. Its presence in MoMA’s collection affirms its role in expanding the boundaries of mid-century American print culture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Grace Hartigan was an American abstract expressionist painter and a significant member of the vibrant New York School of the 1950s and 1960s.
