Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Julie Mehretu. It dates from 2015 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Julie Mehretu’s 2015 aquatint, titled Untitled, is a monochromatic print composed of layered black, gray, and white ink lines.
Julie Mehretu’s 2015 aquatint, titled Untitled, is a monochromatic print composed of layered black, gray, and white ink lines. Executed using the aquatint technique, it captures a dense network of gestural marks that suggest motion and accumulation. The work lacks figurative elements, instead presenting an abstract field of energy and texture. It resides in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Subject & Meaning
The print does not depict recognizable forms or narratives. Its chaotic yet deliberate composition evokes forces such as urban movement, data flow, or atmospheric turbulence. The absence of color and figuration directs attention to structure and rhythm, inviting interpretation as a visual record of invisible systems—social, geographic, or psychological—layered over time.
Technique & Style
Mehretu employed aquatint, a printmaking method that allows for subtle tonal gradations. She built the image through multiple layers of etched lines, creating areas of dense scribbling contrasted with sparse, ghostly traces. Tiny flecks of color emerge faintly, but the palette remains restrained. The result is a dynamic equilibrium between control and spontaneity, characteristic of her approach to mark-making.
History & Provenance
Created in 2015, this work entered The Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its production. It is part of a broader series of prints in which Mehretu explores abstraction through print media, expanding on themes from her large-scale paintings. The artist’s signature appears discreetly in the lower corner, affirming authorship without disrupting the visual field.
Context
This piece aligns with Mehretu’s ongoing investigation into how complex systems—political, architectural, and migratory—leave traces in space. Emerging from a tradition of abstract expressionism and cartographic representation, her work in this period reflects a shift toward quieter, more meditative compositions, using print to distill movement into stillness.
Legacy
Untitled exemplifies Mehretu’s influence in redefining contemporary printmaking as a medium for complex abstraction. Its inclusion in MoMA’s collection underscores its significance within a generation of artists who use non-representational forms to engage with global systems. The work continues to inform discussions on abstraction, process, and the materiality of marks in 21st-century art.
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.
