Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an oil painting by the Surrealist artist Pierre Roy. It dates from 1929 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1929, this oil on canvas by French surrealist Pierre Roy presents a still‑life composition that juxtaposes ordinary objects in a subtly disquieting arrangement. The work resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art and exemplifies Roy’s characteristic blend of precise realism with unexpected groupings.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a wooden surface bearing a pinned sheet of paper, a wheat stalk, a yellow ribbon, a pocket watch, multicolored beads, and a circular object with a central pole set on a green base. By assembling these mundane items in an unfamiliar configuration, the work invites contemplation of the uncanny qualities hidden within everyday materiality.
Technique & Style
Roy employs meticulous brushwork to render textures—wood grain, metal, fabric, and fruit—with photographic clarity, while maintaining a muted blue‑gray background that softens the overall tone. The precise rendering of light and shadow heightens the tactile realism, a hallmark of his surrealist approach.
History & Provenance
The canvas was painted in the late 1920s, a period when Roy was actively contributing to the surrealist movement in France. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings through acquisition in the mid‑20th century, where it has remained on display as part of the museum’s modern European painting collection.
Context
Roy’s work aligns with surrealist interests in the uncanny and the transformation of the banal into the extraordinary. The painting’s careful realism echoes the movement’s fascination with dream‑like juxtapositions, echoing contemporaries who explored similar themes through meticulous depiction of everyday objects.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre Roy (10 August 1880 – 26 September 1950) was a French surrealist painter. He is known for his realistically painted compositions of ordinary objects such as fruits, vegetables, woolen reels, ears, seeds, eggs,…
