Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a graphite drawing by Joan Jonas. It dates from 1986 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1986, this drawing by Joan Jonas combines colored pencil and assembled paper fragments on a single sheet. Its informal, layered construction suggests a working sketch rather than a polished final piece. The work is part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection, reflecting Jonas’s interest in process and the materiality of notation.
Subject & Meaning
Textual fragments such as 'volcano,' 'waterfall,' and 'blue lake' appear along the left margin, evoking natural landscapes. These are paired with rudimentary drawings of mountains, a solitary figure, and ambiguous forms that may suggest boats or trees. The combination implies a personal cartography—neither fully narrative nor purely abstract—hinting at memory, travel, or imagined environments.
Technique & Style
The work is constructed from torn and taped paper pieces, with visible creases and uneven edges suggesting rapid, physical handling. Colored pencil lines are loose and unrefined, reinforcing a sense of immediacy. The integration of handwritten words with schematic drawings blurs the boundary between language and image, characteristic of Jonas’s experimental approach to drawing.
History & Provenance
The piece dates from the mid-1980s, a period when Jonas was increasingly engaged with performance and spatial notation. It entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection as part of a broader recognition of her contributions to conceptual and time-based art. Its preservation as a drawing underscores its role as a preparatory or reflective artifact within her larger practice.
Context
During the 1980s, Jonas was developing works that merged performance, video, and drawing to explore perception and myth. This piece aligns with her interest in how gestures and words construct meaning. Unlike finished illustrations, it functions as a residue of thought—akin to notes for live actions, where imagery and text coexist as fragments of a larger, unfolding system.
Legacy
This drawing exemplifies Jonas’s enduring focus on the provisional nature of representation. Its raw, assembled form has influenced subsequent generations of artists who treat drawing as a site of inquiry rather than resolution. It remains a quiet testament to the value of process in contemporary art, where the act of making holds equal weight to the final image.
Artist & collection
Artist
Joan Jonas is an American visual artist and a pioneer of video and performance art, "a central figure in the performance art movement of the late 1960s".
