Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a pastel drawing by Peter Booth. It dates from 1986 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1986, this untitled work by Australian artist Peter Booth consists of pastel applied to paper. It resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Booth, born in 1940, is noted for figurative and surrealist compositions that often convey intense emotional content.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a chaotic arrangement of vivid hues—reds, yellows, blues—intersected by dense black lines. The forms are abstract and do not correspond to recognizable objects, though a solitary figure on the right edge draws attention, inviting ambiguous interpretation.
Technique & Style
Booth employed soft pastel sticks, a medium that allows colors to blend and bleed into one another, producing a luminous, almost explosive visual effect. The overlapping pigments and erratic line work generate a sense of movement reminiscent of shattered glass or fireworks.
History & Provenance
Since its creation, the drawing has been held by the Museum of Modern Art, where it forms part of the institution’s holdings of late‑20th‑century Australian art. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s interest in Booth’s contribution to contemporary figurative and surrealist practices.
Artist & collection
Artist
Peter Booth (born 2 November 1940) is an Australian figurative and a surrealist painter, and one of the key late-20th-century Australian artists.
