Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a graphite drawing by Paul Sharits. It dates from 1978 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
It presents a simplified architectural form with vivid horizontal stripes, accompanied by four numbered cubic forms below.
Created in 1978, this drawing by Paul Sharits combines ink, pencil, and crayon on graph paper. It presents a simplified architectural form with vivid horizontal stripes, accompanied by four numbered cubic forms below. The composition retains the raw structure of its support, with handwritten annotations and erasures visible along the margins, suggesting a working sketch rather than a finished piece.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing appears to explore architectural representation through minimal geometry. The striped facade and stacked cubes may reference modular design or spatial studies, possibly related to Sharits’ interest in structural systems. The numbered cubes could indicate variations in perspective or construction stages, while the handwritten notes imply an ongoing process of revision and inquiry.
Technique & Style
Sharits employed crayon and colored pencil to render bold red and teal stripes against the grid of graph paper, creating visual contrast without obscuring the underlying structure. Pencil annotations, some crossed out, overlay the surface, reinforcing the drawing’s function as a working document. The use of graph paper grounds the composition in measurement and order, even as the marks suggest spontaneity.
History & Provenance
The work entered the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, where it is preserved as part of Sharits’ broader body of experimental drawings. Its inclusion reflects institutional recognition of his practice beyond film and performance, highlighting his engagement with diagrammatic and conceptual forms on paper during the late 1970s.
Context
In the late 1970s, Sharits was increasingly focused on systems-based art, moving beyond his earlier structural film work. This drawing aligns with contemporaneous interests in architecture, notation, and seriality among artists exploring the boundaries between planning and expression. The graph paper serves both as a tool and a visual motif, echoing broader trends in conceptual and process-oriented art.
Legacy
The drawing contributes to an understanding of Sharits’ multidisciplinary approach, revealing how his investigations into structure and repetition extended into two-dimensional media. It remains a quiet but significant example of how artists used everyday materials and grids to interrogate form, function, and the act of making itself.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Jeffrey Sharits was a visual artist, best known for his work in experimental, or avant-garde filmmaking, particularly what became known as the structural film movement, along with other artists such as Tony Conrad, Hollis Frampton…
