Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Manfred Linder in 1972.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

Artwork

Untitled

Manfred Linder , 1972

Untitled is a drawing by Manfred Linder. It dates from 1972 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

This drawing from 1972 looks like a wild mashup of art and math. Manfred Linder didn’t sketch by hand—he wrote FORTRAN code, fed it into a 1970s computer, then let a plotter drag a pen across paper.

The cool part? The machine turned his math into squiggly lines that somehow sound like music.

Curious how a computer can draw? Look up Manfred Linder next.

Overview

Untitled is a plotter drawing created in 1972 by Manfred Linder. The work consists of line patterns produced by a computer‑controlled pen, resulting in a composition that merges visual and mathematical elements.

Technique & Style

Linder wrote a program in the FORTRAN language and executed it on a Siemens 4004/G computer. The output was sent to a Calcomp 565 plotter, a mechanical device that moves a pen across the paper according to the computer’s instructions, generating the intricate line work seen in the piece.

Subject & Meaning

The drawing does not depict a recognizable scene; instead it visualizes algorithmic processes. By translating numerical calculations into continuous strokes, the work explores the relationship between computation, geometry, and visual rhythm.

History & Provenance

While employed at the University of Cologne’s computer centre, where he oversaw operating systems and graphical hardware, Linder submitted the piece to the Computer Arts Society’s INTERACT exhibition and conference in Edinburgh in 1973. The drawing remains documented as an early example of computer‑generated art.

Artist & collection

Artist

Manfred Linder

This German artist spent years drawing nothing but empty chairs in pencil. Not fancy chairs—just the wood and metal of ordinary seating, over and over, until the lines started to hum. If you’ve ever stared at a quiet…