Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Richard Diebenkorn. It dates from 1970 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1970, this lithograph by Richard Diebenkorn presents a simplified arrangement of color fields: a luminous yellow band crowns the composition, beneath it a deep blue expanse is traversed by vertical streaks, and a solitary, irregular red shape with a faint white outline occupies the center. The work exemplifies Diebenkorn’s transition toward non‑representational, geometric abstraction.
Subject & Meaning
The piece offers no narrative content; instead it explores the interaction of primary hues and basic forms. The juxtaposition of the bright yellow, saturated blue, and muted red invites contemplation of spatial balance and the tension between flat color planes and the subtle texture suggested by the streaked blue and the ragged edge of the red shape.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image was produced by drawing directly onto a limestone or metal plate with greasy media, then treating the surface so that ink adheres only to the drawn areas. Diebenkorn’s approach yields uniform, bold color areas while preserving the gestural quality of the blue streaks, reflecting his lyrical abstraction style.
History & Provenance
The work belongs to the period when Diebenkorn moved away from the figurative concerns of the Bay Area Figurative Movement toward the geometric, planar compositions that would define his Ocean Park series. Though originally printed in the early 1970s, the piece has circulated through private collections and museum exhibitions that trace the artist’s evolving abstraction.
Context
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Diebenkorn’s practice aligned with broader shifts in American art, where many painters embraced color field and hard‑edge aesthetics. This lithograph anticipates the formal concerns of his later Ocean Park paintings, which solidified his reputation on the international stage.
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Diebenkorn (April 22, 1922 – March 30, 1993) was an American painter and printmaker.
