Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Hannah Höch. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1917, this woodcut by German Dadaist Hannah Höch presents a stark, monochrome composition centered on a winged figure. The figure balances a sword in one hand with a bunch of grapes in the other, standing on a modest platform that supports a wheel and a hammer, while a radiating sunburst crowns its head. The print’s crisp lines and lack of shading emphasize its graphic intensity.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure’s serene expression contrasts with the surrounding assemblage of symbols—weaponry, fruit, industrial tools—suggesting a tension between aggression, abundance, and labor. The inclusion of the words “Gebymago” and “Matha” beneath the figure adds an enigmatic textual layer, inviting interpretations related to the era’s preoccupations with gender, technology, and the emerging image of the “New Woman.”
Technique & Style
Executed as a woodcut, the work relies on carved wooden blocks to produce bold, black‑on‑white imagery. Höch’s precise incisions generate sharp contours and a graphic clarity typical of Dada printmaking, while the absence of tonal shading underscores the movement’s preference for stark, confrontational visual language.
History & Provenance
Höch, later renowned for her photomontages, produced this print during the early phase of her career, before her most celebrated collage works of the Weimar period. The piece reflects her initial engagement with print media as a vehicle for social critique, and it remains documented within collections that trace the development of German Dada in the 1910s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Hannah Höch (German: ; 1 November 1889 – 31 May 1978) was a German Dada artist. She is best known for her work of the Weimar period, when she was one of the originators of photomontage. Photomontage, or fotomontage, is…
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