Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Maryan S. Maryan. It dates from 1967 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created in 1967, this lithograph by Maryan S.
About this work
The lines are rough and fast, with splatters around the edges like ink was flicked while drawing.
This sketch shows a person in a suit, hunched over a table with their head tilted down. Their hands are clasped together, and their face looks tired or stressed. The lines are rough and fast, with splatters around the edges like ink was flicked while drawing.
The artist signed it "Maryan 1967," which is also the year it was made. The style feels urgent, like it was drawn in one go without much smoothing out.
Try looking up lithography to see how this kind of print was made.
Overview
Created in 1967, this lithograph by Maryan S. Maryun—born Pinchas Burstein in 1927—captures a solitary figure seated at a table. The work is rendered in stark, hurried lines, conveying a sense of fatigue and tension. Signed simply "Maryan 1967," the piece reflects the artist’s post‑expressionist approach, linking personal trauma to broader existential concerns.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a man in a suit, hunched over a tabletop with his head bowed and hands clasped. The posture and weary expression suggest introspection or burden, resonating with the artist’s own experiences of survival and displacement. The figure’s isolation invites contemplation of psychological strain and the lingering effects of trauma.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on the directness of the stone or metal plate process, allowing swift, gestural strokes. Rough, uneven lines and splattered ink edges give the work an urgent, almost improvisational quality, emphasizing immediacy over refined finish. This approach aligns with post‑expressionist tendencies toward raw emotional expression.
History & Provenance
Maryan, a Polish‑born Jewish survivor of Auschwitz, adopted his artistic name after World War II and pursued a career in painting and printmaking. The lithograph emerged during a prolific period in the late 1960s when he was actively exhibiting in Europe and the United States. Its signed date confirms its place within his mature oeuvre.
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…
