Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Rosella Hartman. It dates from 1934 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
The work exemplifies Hartman’s interest in ordinary objects as subjects for visual exploration, offering a restrained yet thoughtful visual experience.
Created in 1934, this lithographic print by American artist Rosella Hartman presents a modest still‑life composition centered on a paper bag. The image is rendered in muted tones, emphasizing the quiet, unadorned atmosphere of an everyday domestic setting. The work exemplifies Hartman’s interest in ordinary objects as subjects for visual exploration, offering a restrained yet thoughtful visual experience.
Subject & Meaning
The solitary paper bag, rendered with careful attention to form and shadow, serves as the focal point of the composition. By elevating a commonplace item to the status of a still‑life subject, Hartman invites contemplation of the mundane and its inherent aesthetic qualities, suggesting a subtle meditation on the simplicity of daily life.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the print demonstrates Hartman’s command of the medium’s capacity for delicate tonal variation. The artist employed the traditional stone‑or‑metal plate process, allowing for nuanced gradations and a soft, atmospheric quality. The restrained palette and simplified forms reflect a modernist sensibility while maintaining a clear, representational approach.
History & Provenance
Hartman produced this work during a period marked by two Guggenheim Fellowships (1934, 1938) that funded her study of graphic arts abroad. Based in Woodstock, New York, she was active in the 1930s New York gallery scene, and some of her lithographs were created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project. The print’s provenance traces back to these formative years of her printmaking career.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rosella Hartman (May 23, 1895 — March 5, 1984) was an American painter, etcher, and lithographer.
