Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a print by Julie Mehretu. It dates from 2017 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
It features handwritten text in black ink on a white background, with the words "Los Angeles" and "March 24, 2017" visible at the top.
This image is a digital print, one of nine in a portfolio. It features handwritten text in black ink on a white background, with the words "Los Angeles" and "March 24, 2017" visible at the top. The text appears to be a letter or document, but its content is unclear.
The handwriting is cursive and difficult to decipher, with some words and phrases underlined or crossed out. The overall effect is one of chaos and disorder, with the text sprawling across the page in a seemingly random pattern.
The use of handwritten text and the chaotic layout give the image a sense of urgency and spontaneity. It's as if the artist is trying to convey a message quickly and without hesitation. If you're interested in learning more about this style of art, you might want to explore the work of Julie Mehretu.
Overview
Created in 2017, this untitled work is a digital print by Julie Mehretu that forms part of a nine‑piece portfolio. The piece is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. It presents a dense field of handwritten black ink on a stark white surface, foregrounding the immediacy of a personal document rendered in cursive script.
Subject & Meaning
The page bears the headings “Los Angeles” and “March 24, 2017,” suggesting a specific time and place, yet the surrounding text remains largely illegible. Underlined and crossed‑out fragments punctuate the composition, contributing to a sense of fragmented communication and an atmosphere of urgency that resists straightforward interpretation.
Technique & Style
Mehretu employs a digital printing process to reproduce a hand‑drawn, cursive script, preserving the irregularities of ink flow and the spontaneous quality of the original mark‑making. The chaotic arrangement of words, with overlapping lines and erratic spacing, creates a visual density that mirrors the disorder of the textual content.
History & Provenance
The work was produced as one of nine prints in a single portfolio released in 2017. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings shortly after its creation, where it remains on view as part of the institution’s contemporary print collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Julie Mehretu is an Ethiopian American contemporary visual artist, known for her multi-layered paintings of abstracted landscapes on a large scale.
