Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an oil drawing by Minnie Evans. It dates from 1963 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Created around 1963, this mixed-media drawing combines colored pencil, crayon, oil and graphite on paper.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1963, this mixed-media drawing combines colored pencil, crayon, oil and graphite on paper. The work is part of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art and is titled Untitled. Its composition centers on a hybrid creature rendered in vivid greens, set against a bright, saturated landscape of pink, yellow, blue and red.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure merges the body of an elephant, the tail of a snake and the head of a dog, topped with a long, curved tusk. Positioned before a pink sky, a yellow shoreline and blue waves, the creature inhabits a dreamlike seascape illuminated by a red sunrise, evoking a sense of otherworldly wonder and imaginative narrative.
Technique & Style
Evans employs a layered approach, integrating the opacity of oil with the delicate marks of colored pencil and crayon, while graphite outlines define forms. The vivid palette and flattened perspective emphasize the fantastical subject, and the juxtaposition of media creates texture that enhances the surreal atmosphere.
History & Provenance
The drawing entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its creation, reflecting the institution’s interest in mid‑century American visionary art. Its acquisition date and prior ownership remain undocumented, but the work has been exhibited in several retrospectives of Evans’s oeuvre.
Context
During the early 1960s, Evans explored mythic and hybrid imagery drawn from personal visions and folklore. Untitled aligns with her broader practice of blending natural forms with imaginative creatures, a hallmark of her output while she worked at the North Carolina State Hospital, where she cultivated a distinctive visual language.
Artist & collection
Artist
Minnie Eva Evans was an African-American artist who worked in the United States from the 1940s to the 1980s.
