Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Judith Gutiérrez. It dates from 1978 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
The work exemplifies her engagement with symbolic imagery and vibrant color, characteristic of her printmaking practice during this period.
Created in 1978, this lithograph by Ecuadorian artist Judith Gutiérrez is part of The Museum of Modern Art’s collection. Gutiérrez, active in both Ecuador and Mexico, was connected to the Guayaquil School for Contemporary Plastic Arts and engaged in early feminist art initiatives in her home country. The work exemplifies her engagement with symbolic imagery and vibrant color, characteristic of her printmaking practice during this period.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a figure atop a horse, soaring above a dense, abstracted forest. The rider’s ornate attire, including a feathered headdress, suggests ceremonial or mythic identity, while the horse’s decorated saddle implies cultural symbolism. Below, two brightly colored animals move through the undergrowth, their presence adding dynamism. The absence of a defined ground plane evokes a dreamlike or spiritual realm, distancing the scene from literal representation.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the work employs bold, flat areas of color and strong linear contours to create visual intensity. The swirling patterns on the saddle and the exaggerated forms of the foliage reflect a stylized, almost surreal approach. The high-contrast palette—vivid hues against a pale background—enhances the sense of movement and otherworldliness, typical of Gutiérrez’s interest in indigenous aesthetics and expressive printmaking.
History & Provenance
The lithograph was produced during a period of active artistic development for Gutiérrez, following her involvement with the Guayaquil School and participation in Ecuador’s emerging feminist art circles. It entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art in the late 20th century, reflecting growing institutional recognition of Latin American women artists whose work bridged cultural tradition and modernist experimentation.
Context
Gutiérrez’s work emerged alongside broader Latin American movements that reinterpreted indigenous motifs through contemporary mediums. In Ecuador, artists of her generation sought to assert cultural identity beyond colonial frameworks. Her use of symbolic figures and non-naturalistic landscapes aligned with regional efforts to reclaim visual narratives, while her choice of lithography allowed for wider dissemination of these ideas.
Legacy
Gutiérrez’s prints, including this untitled work, contributed to expanding the visibility of Ecuadorian women in modern art. Her integration of indigenous iconography with modernist techniques influenced later generations of Latin American printmakers. The piece remains a key example of how personal and cultural symbolism were woven into formal experimentation during the late 20th century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Judith Gutiérrez Moscoso (22 December 1927 – 1 March 2003) was an Ecuadorian painter who lived and worked in Ecuador and Mexico.
