Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Maryan S. Maryan. It dates from 1975 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created in 1975, this lithograph by Maryan S.
About this work
Overview
Lithography, a technique involving ink transferred from a stone surface, allowed him to produce bold, immediate marks that echo the urgency of memory.
Created in 1975, this lithograph by Maryan S. Maryan—born Pinchas Burstein—emerges from his years in New York as a displaced artist. The work belongs to a body of prints where he processed personal and collective trauma through distorted figuration. Lithography, a technique involving ink transferred from a stone surface, allowed him to produce bold, immediate marks that echo the urgency of memory.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a face encased in a rigid, pointed hat and a high-collared coat, evoking formal attire that feels alienating rather than dignified. Exaggerated eyes and an open mouth suggest a cry or scream, frozen in expression. The figure lacks clear identity, functioning instead as a vessel for unresolved grief and the psychological weight of survival, stripped of context yet heavy with implication.
Technique & Style
Maryan employed lithography to achieve a raw, gestural quality. The scratchy, uneven lines and abrupt contours reflect a hand moving quickly, resisting polish. The flat blue background isolates the figure, heightening its psychological presence. The medium’s capacity for tonal contrast allowed him to amplify the grotesque without detail, favoring emotional resonance over realism.
History & Provenance
Born in Poland in 1927, Maryan survived Auschwitz and later relocated to the United States, where he adopted a new name and artistic identity. This lithograph was made during a period of intense productivity in New York, following his return to figuration after earlier abstract experiments. It remains part of a private collection, with no public exhibition history documented beyond its initial circulation in artist-run spaces.
Context
Emerging in the mid-1970s, the work aligns with a broader post-war artistic reckoning with trauma, particularly among Holocaust survivors. While European expressionism influenced his approach, Maryan’s figures diverge from historical precedents by rejecting narrative clarity. His imagery resists catharsis, instead presenting psychological states as persistent, unresolved presences.
Legacy
Maryan’s prints, including this untitled work, contributed to a quiet but significant dialogue in late 20th-century American art about memory and the body under duress. Though never widely exhibited, his approach influenced later artists exploring trauma through distortion. His legacy lies in the persistence of his visual language—uncompromising, unadorned, and anchored in survival.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pinchas Burstein (1927–1977), later known as Maryan S. Maryan, was a Polish-born Jewish post-expressionist painter. He was born in Nowy Sącz, Poland, into an Orthodox Jewish family and was only 12 when the Nazis invaded…
