Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by R. B. Kitaj. It dates from 1972 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Untitled, produced in 1972 by the British-American painter R. B. Kitaj, is a screenprint that forms part of a larger portfolio comprising three lithographs, two photogravures, two screenprints with stencil and varnish additions, an aquatint, an etching and aquatint, and another screenprint. The work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art and is presented as a single sheet print.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a vivid orange square edged with a rough, uneven black line that suggests a torn poster. Within the square a loosely drawn face hovers above an entangled network of lines, smudges and abstract marks that evoke fragments of maps, scribbles and voids, inviting viewers to contemplate the tension between representation and abstraction.
Technique & Style
Kitaj achieved the image by combining screenprinting with etching and lithographic processes, layering each medium to create a collage-like surface. The juxtaposition of crisp screen‑printed color against the softer, incised marks of etching and the tonal qualities of lithography produces a textured, multi‑layered effect that blurs the boundaries between drawing and print.
History & Provenance
Created in the early 1970s, the piece entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its completion, becoming part of the institution’s holdings of post‑war American printmaking. Its inclusion reflects MoMA’s interest in Kitaj’s experimental approach to mixed‑media prints during that period.
Context
The work belongs to a series in which Kitaj explored the possibilities of combining traditional print techniques with contemporary graphic methods. The portfolio’s varied formats—lithographs, photogravures, screenprints with added stencil and varnish—demonstrate his engagement with the materiality of print and his interest in the visual language of collage prevalent in the 1970s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ronald Brooks Kitaj was an American artist who spent much of his life in England.
