Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Kathan Brown. It dates from 1971 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1971, this untitled screenprint by Kathan Brown is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. The work combines flat, vivid color fields with a tactile surface, presenting a scene that balances narrative suggestion with abstracted form. Its composition draws the eye across a sand‑covered path toward a distant forest and river, while a small white dog occupies the foreground.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a figure dressed in blue trousers and a green top, poised to toss an object toward a diminutive white dog on a sandy trail. Behind them, a darkly rendered forest merges with a river, its trees reduced to stark black silhouettes. The juxtaposition of human activity, animal presence, and natural landscape invites contemplation of interaction between the everyday and the wild.
Technique & Style
The bold, unmodulated hues and simplified outlines reflect a graphic sensibility characteristic of the artist’s layered prints.
Brown employed a screenprinting process enhanced with flocking—a technique that embeds fine fibers into the ink, producing a velvety, grainy texture on the sand and sky areas. Smooth, flat color planes contrast with these textured surfaces, creating visual depth without traditional shading. The bold, unmodulated hues and simplified outlines reflect a graphic sensibility characteristic of the artist’s layered prints.
History & Provenance
The print was produced in 1971, a period when Brown was exploring the possibilities of mixed‑media screenprints. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings through acquisition shortly after its creation, positioning the work within the institution’s broader narrative of post‑war American printmaking.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kathan Louise Brown was an American master printmaker, writer, lecturer, and entrepreneur.
