Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink drawing by Neil Farber. It dates from 2002 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2002, this ink and colored‑ink drawing by Canadian artist Neil Farber depicts an intimate interior scene rendered in vivid hues. The composition centers on a young girl in a red dress seated on a modest bed, while a skeletal figure peers from a striped closet. The work balances ordinary domestic details with a surreal, slightly unsettling presence.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing juxtaposes the everyday routine of a bedroom with an uncanny intruder: a skeleton with minimalist red‑dot eyes. The child's calm demeanor contrasts with the eerie stillness of the bone figure, suggesting a dialogue between innocence and mortality, or perhaps a playful exploration of the uncanny within familiar spaces.
Technique & Style
Farber employs precise ink lines complemented by bold washes of colored ink, allowing flat areas of bright pigment to define furniture, walls, and the rainbow‑striped closet doors. The stark outlines and limited palette create a graphic quality reminiscent of illustration, while the flat color fields emphasize the scene’s artificial, almost toy‑like atmosphere.
History & Provenance
Neil Farber, born in 1975 in Winnipeg, studied at the University of Manitoba and gained recognition through his involvement with The Royal Art Lodge collective. This particular work entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings of contemporary drawing.
Context
Farber’s practice often merges whimsical narratives with a childlike visual language, drawing on influences from comics and folk art. The drawing reflects his broader interest in combining bright, naïve aesthetics with unsettling subject matter, a hallmark of his output during the early 2000s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Neil Farber (born 1975) is a Canadian contemporary artist who lives and works in Winnipeg.
