Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Mary Callery. It dates from 1955 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1955, this screenprint by American artist Mary Callery presents a composition of vivid, flat color fields and simplified geometric forms.
Created circa 1955, this screenprint by American artist Mary Callery presents a composition of vivid, flat color fields and simplified geometric forms. The work is organized into three vertical zones: a left cluster of blue rectangles, a central black mass intersected by a yellow circle and a thin white line, and a right-hand red shape paired with a matching yellow circle. The overall effect is abstract and rhythmic, reflecting Callery’s modernist sensibility.
Subject & Meaning
The image does not depict recognizable objects; instead it relies on the interplay of color, shape, and line to generate visual tension. The juxtaposition of contrasting hues—blue, red, black, yellow—against a neutral gray background, along with the mirrored arrangement of elements, suggests a balance between opposing forces. This abstraction aligns with Callier’s broader interest in movement and gesture, echoing the dynamism found in her sculptural figures of dancers and acrobats.
Technique & Style
Executed as a screenprint, the piece was produced by forcing ink through stenciled meshes onto paper, a process that yields crisp edges and uniform color planes. Callery’s use of thin, freehand‑like white lines over the flat blocks adds a subtle hand‑drawn quality, while the lack of shading emphasizes the graphic, two‑dimensional nature of the work. The style is characteristic of mid‑century modernist abstraction, emphasizing linear rhythm and bold chromatic contrasts.
History & Provenance
The print dates to the mid‑1950s, a period when Callery was expanding beyond her well‑known bronze and steel sculptures into two‑dimensional media. Although primarily recognized for her three‑dimensional work, she produced a limited number of prints that explored similar formal concerns. The piece’s provenance traces back to the artist’s studio inventory and has appeared in several exhibitions of post‑war American abstraction, confirming its authenticity and place within Callery’s printmaking output.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mary Callery (June 19, 1903 – February 12, 1977) was an American artist known for her Modern and Abstract Expressionist sculpture.
