Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an oil painting by the Contemporary Abstract artist Richard Aldrich. It dates from 2012 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2012, this untitled work by Richard Aldrich is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. Executed on a Dibond® panel, the surface combines oil and wax applied to linen with silkscreen ink, resulting in a mixed‑media painting that occupies a modest visual field while inviting close inspection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a stark white field punctuated by a central, irregular form outlined in black. The shape’s rough, tactile surface contrasts with the surrounding plane, while the background is densely covered with diminutive black lettering that resists legibility, suggesting a tension between visible structure and obscured narrative.
Technique & Style
Aldrich merges traditional oil painting with wax and silkscreen processes, layering materials to achieve a textured surface. The use of silkscreen ink on the Dibond substrate allows for fine, repetitive text elements, while the wax adds a matte, sculptural quality to the central shape, aligning the piece with abstract expressionist concerns for materiality and gesture.
History & Provenance
The work entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings shortly after its creation, becoming part of the institution’s early‑21st‑century acquisitions. Its inclusion reflects MoMA’s ongoing focus on artists who interrogate the boundaries between painting, printmaking, and object.
Context
Aldrich’s practice often explores the interplay of language, surface, and perception. In this piece, the juxtaposition of unreadable text with a bold, gestural form echoes broader contemporary dialogues about the limits of visual communication and the role of abstraction in conveying meaning.
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Aldrich is a Brooklyn-based painter who exhibited in the 2010 Whitney Biennial.
