Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a watercolor drawing by Katy Schimert. It dates from 2003 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created in 2003, this paper work combines watercolor, ink and pencil in a single composition now held by the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2003, this paper work combines watercolor, ink and pencil in a single composition now held by the Museum of Modern Art.
Created in 2003, this paper work combines watercolor, ink and pencil in a single composition now held by the Museum of Modern Art. The image presents a stylized forest under a pale sky, populated by diminutive stick‑figure walkers on a taut line between branches, while oversized hands emerge from the trees, some clutching red discs. The overall effect balances a whimsical tone with an unsettling atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The scene juxtaposes fragile human figures with monumental, ambiguous hands, suggesting a dialogue between vulnerability and external forces. The red circles held aloft may hint at focal points of attention or desire, while the glowing marks on the ground evoke targets or blossoms, reinforcing a tension between the ordinary and the uncanny. The composition invites contemplation of how personal narratives intersect with larger, perhaps mythic, structures.
Technique & Style
The artist employs loose, sketch‑like lines and layered watercolor washes to build depth, allowing underlying pencil marks to remain visible. Transparent glazing creates a luminous sky and soft foliage, while ink outlines define the figures and hands with crisp contrast. The interplay of delicate drawing and vivid color produces a visual language that oscillates between figurative representation and abstracted, decorative motifs.
History & Provenance
American artist Katy Schimert, born in 1963, produced the work as part of her ongoing exploration of interdisciplinary media. After its completion, the piece entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it has been catalogued as an example of her mixed‑media practice that merges drawing, painting and sculptural concerns.
Context
Schimert’s broader oeuvre is noted for dense, layered compositions that blend personal experience, scientific reference and mythic narrative. This drawing reflects her interest in the interplay of order and chaos, a theme that recurs in her sculptures and paintings, where fine and decorative art traditions converge with both figurative and abstract elements.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katy Schimert (born 1963) is an American artist known for exhibitions and installations that meld disparate media into cohesive formal and conceptual visual statements arising out of personal experience, myth and empirical knowledge.
