Artwork
Untitled. Print from the suite 'Ten Works by Ten Painters'.
Untitled. Print from the suite 'Ten Works by Ten Painters'. is a print by Larry Poons. It dates from 1964 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Prints like this let artists share work in small, affordable pieces.
This is a 1964 print by Larry Poons. It’s part of a set called Ten Works by Ten Painters. Prints like this let artists share work in small, affordable pieces.
Poons started in music before switching to art. His early teachers included John Cage, who mixed music and chance. You can still feel that mix in this print.
His later work used floating dots and color fields. That helped start the op art movement.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
Untitled is a 1964 print by American artist Larry Poons, part of the suite 'Ten Works by Ten Painters'. This affordable, small-scale work exemplifies Poons' transitional style, reflecting both his musical background and emerging visual art practices.
Subject & Meaning
The print's composition, with its structured yet spontaneous elements, alludes to the intersection of chance and organization, potentially influenced by Poons' mentor, avant-garde artist and musician John Cage.
Technique & Style
Characterized by coloured dots suspended on a contrasting colour field, this print foreshadows Poons' pivotal role in the Op Art movement, though his subsequent work would shift towards more expressive paint handling.
History & Provenance
Created in 1964 for 'Ten Works by Ten Painters', this print is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection, highlighting its significance within the broader context of accessible, serial art production.
Context
Emerging from Poons' background in music (initially studying with John Cage in Boston) and his later shift to painting at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the print embodies the interdisciplinary exchanges of the early 1960s art scene.
Legacy
While Poons' later, more expressive works would diverge from the Op Art movement he helped initiate with such dotted field compositions, 'Untitled' remains a testament to the innovative, boundary-pushing practices of the 1960s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lawrence M. "Larry" Poons is an American abstract painter. Poons was born in Tokyo; he studied from 1955 to 1957 at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, with the intent of becoming a professional musician.…
