Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Paul Harris. It dates from 1970 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The artist used a technique called lithography, which lets them print images with a mix of smooth and textured lines.
This is a simple black-and-white drawing of two open drawers. The top drawer is slightly ajar, while the bottom one is fully open, revealing a flat, empty space inside. The lines are clean but rough, like hand-drawn sketches.
The artist used a technique called lithography, which lets them print images with a mix of smooth and textured lines. It’s part of a set of 21 prints made in 1970.
Check out lithography to see how it works.
Overview
Untitled is one of twenty-one lithographs produced by Paul Harris in 1970. Created as part of a cohesive series, the work is held in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art. The image presents a minimal composition: two horizontal drawers, one partially open, the other fully extended. Rendered in monochrome, the print emphasizes form and spatial suggestion over detail, reflecting Harris’s interest in everyday objects as subjects of quiet contemplation.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts two open drawers, their emptiness rendered with deliberate simplicity. The top drawer is slightly ajar, the bottom fully exposed, suggesting a moment of interruption or abandonment. No contents are visible, inviting speculation about absence, memory, or the ordinary rituals of storage. The lack of narrative detail shifts focus to the physicality of the object and the silence implied by its openness.
Technique & Style
Harris employed lithography to achieve a range of linear textures, from smooth contours to roughly hatched areas. The technique allowed him to translate the immediacy of a hand-drawn sketch into a printed format, preserving the tactile quality of the original mark. The contrast between clean edges and uneven shading gives the image a sense of spontaneity, grounding its abstraction in the physical act of drawing.
History & Provenance
The print was produced in 1970 as part of a limited portfolio of twenty-one lithographs. It entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art shortly after its creation, likely through direct acquisition or donation. The portfolio remains largely intact, with individual prints distributed across institutional holdings. No public record indicates prior ownership outside museum contexts.
Context
Harris’s work emerged during a period when many artists turned to serial formats and mundane subjects to challenge traditional notions of artistic grandeur. His focus on domestic objects like drawers aligned with broader trends in postwar American art that valued quiet observation over dramatic expression. The lithograph series reflects an interest in the poetic potential of the ordinary, resonating with contemporaries exploring minimalism and conceptual restraint.
Legacy
Though not widely exhibited outside institutional settings, the portfolio has influenced later artists interested in the intersection of drawing and printmaking. Its restrained aesthetic and emphasis on absence continue to be referenced in discussions of minimalist print practices. The work endures as a quiet example of how everyday forms can carry psychological weight when stripped of ornament and context.
Artist & collection
