Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a wood painting by the Abstract Expressionist artist Omar Carreño. It dates from 1952 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1952, this untitled work by Omar Carreño is an abstract composition executed in alkylated resin paint on a wooden support. The piece belongs to the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it is displayed among mid‑century modernist works.
Subject & Meaning
The arrangement invites contemplation of balance and spatial tension without representing recognizable objects.
The painting consists of three stacked horizontal zones, each populated by geometric forms in white and blue. The upper two sections feature angular blue triangles and rectangles set against a stark white field, while the lower band presents a series of thin, intersecting blue lines that suggest a loose grid. The arrangement invites contemplation of balance and spatial tension without representing recognizable objects.
Technique & Style
Carreño employed alkyd medium, allowing for a glossy, layered surface that gives certain blue areas a palpable thickness. The contrast between flat expanses of white and the textured, slightly raised blues underscores the artist’s interest in materiality and the interplay of surface and depth within a minimalist visual language.
History & Provenance
After its completion in the early 1950s, the work entered the holdings of the Museum of Modern Art, where it has remained part of the institution’s permanent collection. Its acquisition reflects MoMA’s broader commitment to documenting the development of abstract painting in the post‑war period.
Artist & collection
