Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Robert Mothé. It dates from 1973 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The artist made this using a printing method where ink is pressed onto a flat stone.
This painting shows three tall, wavy black lines standing on a thick, uneven base. The lines lean slightly, with small dots near their tops. The background is plain white, making the black shapes stand out sharply.
The artist made this using a printing method where ink is pressed onto a flat stone. It’s part of a big set of prints he did in 1973.
Look up lithography to see how this technique works.
Overview
Created in 1973, this untitled work by Robert Motherwell is a lithographic print that forms part of an extensive series of thirty‑one mixed‑media prints. The image consists of three elongated, sinuous black forms that rise from an uneven, textured base and terminate in small dots near their apexes, set against an unadorned white field that emphasizes their stark contrast.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents abstract, vertical gestures that suggest both structural stability and subtle movement. The wavy black lines, anchored by a roughened foundation, can be read as a visual exploration of tension between order and chaos, a recurring concern in Motherwell’s oeuvre, reflecting his interest in philosophical and literary ideas without depicting recognizable objects.
Technique & Style
Motherwell employed traditional lithography, drawing the design with greasy media on a flat stone surface before transferring ink onto paper. The piece’s crisp black lines and precise dot details demonstrate his control of the medium, while the uneven base texture hints at a possible combination with other print processes used elsewhere in the portfolio, such as screenprinting and etching.
History & Provenance
The lithograph belongs to a larger portfolio assembled by Motherwell in 1973 that includes lithographs, screenprints, etchings, aquatints, and woodcuts. This collection is held by the Museum of Modern Art, reflecting the artist’s prolific engagement with printmaking during the later phase of his career and his ongoing dialogue with contemporary abstract expressionist practices.
Context
During the early 1970s Motherwell was an established figure of the New York School, known for integrating philosophical inquiry into his abstract visual language. His editorial work on the Dada anthology and his background in philosophy informed the intellectual underpinnings of his prints, situating this untitled lithograph within a broader discourse on abstraction and meaning.
Artist & collection
Artist
Robert Motherwell (January 24, 1915 – July 16, 1991) was an American abstract expressionist painter, printmaker, and editor of The Dada Painters and Poets: an Anthology.
