Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an oil drawing by Jill Moser. It dates from 1985 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1985, this work is a drawing on Mylar, executed in graphite and oil stick by Jill Moser. It resides in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art. The piece avoids traditional finish, favoring a raw, accumulative mark-making process that emphasizes materiality over refinement. Its medium and support contribute to a sense of immediacy and physical presence.
Subject & Meaning
Two elongated, shadowed forms dominate the composition, their outlines blurred and uneven. They suggest ambiguous silhouettes—possibly vessels, figures, or abstracted masses—but resist clear identification. The ambiguity invites contemplation of presence and absence, with forms emerging from and dissolving into the pale ground through layered, gestural strokes.
Technique & Style
Moser built the forms using thick, layered strokes of oil stick and graphite, creating dense, textured surfaces. Edges are intentionally smudged and uneven, suggesting motion or erosion. The application resembles scribbling or scraping, prioritizing tactile accumulation over clean delineation. The Mylar support enhances the contrast between the opaque marks and the luminous ground.
History & Provenance
The work was produced in 1985 and entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly thereafter. It is part of a broader body of work from the mid-1980s in which Moser explored the limits of drawing through non-traditional materials. Its inclusion in the museum’s holdings reflects its significance within post-minimalist drawing practices of the era.
Context
Emerging from a period when artists were redefining drawing beyond pencil on paper, Moser’s use of oil stick on Mylar aligned with contemporaneous experiments in material expansion. Her approach resonated with concerns around process, impermanence, and the body’s role in mark-making, situating the work within broader shifts in late 20th-century abstraction.
Legacy
This piece contributes to an ongoing reevaluation of drawing as a dynamic, material practice rather than a preparatory or finished form. Its inclusion in major collections has helped legitimize unconventional media in drawing discourse, influencing subsequent generations to embrace process-driven, non-idealized mark-making.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jill Moser is a New York-based artist whose paintings, drawings, prints, collages and artist's books explore the intersections of painting, writing, and the animated image.
