Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a pastel print by Lisa Yuskavage. It dates from 2011 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created in 2011, this work combines offset lithography, digital printing, and pastel applications.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2011, this work combines offset lithography, digital printing, and pastel applications. It presents a tranquil scene featuring two female figures set against a muted purple landscape that includes trees, water, and scattered rocks. The composition balances a clothed figure holding fruit with a nude figure turned away, establishing a quiet, contemplative atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The image juxtaposes clothed and nude women, inviting reflection on themes of presence, vulnerability, and domesticity. The fruit-bearing figure suggests abundance or offering, while the turned-back nude introduces a sense of introspection. Together they inhabit a serene natural setting, emphasizing a calm interaction between the human form and its surroundings.
Technique & Style
The piece merges traditional offset lithography with contemporary digital processes, then receives hand-applied pastel accents that soften edges and enrich color. This hybrid approach yields a flat, graphic base softened by the tactile quality of pastel, producing a delicate palette and a subtle interplay between print precision and painterly gesture.
History & Provenance
The work is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection, acquired shortly after its creation. It reflects the artist’s ongoing investigation of figurative subjects through print media, extending her practice beyond painting into mixed-media prints that retain her characteristic focus on the human figure.
Context
Emerging from an American art scene that revisits figurative traditions, the artist’s prints engage with historical genre painting while employing modern production methods. The serene landscape and intimate figures align with her broader oeuvre, which often explores sensuality and narrative ambiguity within contemporary visual language.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lisa Yuskavage ( yə-SKAV-ij; born 1962) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. She is known for her figure paintings that challenge conventional understandings of the genre.
