Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Mauricio Lasansky. It dates from 1961 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Mauricio Lasansky’s 1961 print, catalogued simply as Untitled, is an etching and engraving held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Executed as a single‑plate print, the work presents a stark, monochrome image that foregrounds the artist’s command of line and texture.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a solitary head that straddles the line between portrait and mask. Rough, almost tactile skin, exaggerated ears, and a high forehead give the figure an ambiguous identity, while hollow, unblinking eyes and a thin, almost absent mouth suggest a contemplative, perhaps unsettling presence.
Technique & Style
Lasansky employed a combination of etching and engraving, using sharp tools to incise varied lines that build up the facial surface. The resulting texture is deliberately uneven, contrasting with the smooth black background and creating a sense of depth through line density rather than tonal shading.
History & Provenance
Created in 1961, the print entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings as part of its mid‑twentieth‑century American print collection. Its acquisition reflects MoMA’s ongoing effort to document the evolution of printmaking practices in post‑war United States art.
Context
During the early 1960s Lasansky was a leading figure in American printmaking, known for reviving and expanding traditional intaglio techniques. Untitled exemplifies his interest in exploring the human visage through abstraction, aligning with broader modernist concerns about identity and the deconstruction of the figurative form.
Legacy
While the work remains untitled, its stark visual language continues to inform discussions of mid‑century printmaking and the ways artists manipulate line to convey psychological depth. It stands as a representative example of Lasansky’s influence on subsequent generations of printmakers.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mauricio Leib Lasansky was an Argentine artist and educator known both for his advanced techniques in intaglio printmaking and for a series of 33 pencil drawings from the 1960s titled "The Nazi Drawings." Lasansky, who…
