Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a gouache drawing by Sonja Sekula. It dates from 1954 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1954, this mixed‑media work by Sonja Sekula occupies a single page of a spiral‑bound notebook. Gouache, pencil, colored pencil, ink, and collaged paper fragments combine on a bright yellow ground, producing a composition that oscillates between spontaneous sketch and deliberate arrangement.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a stark black silhouette suggestive of a tree on the left, an unevenly rendered word “LOVE” in the centre, and a red circular form resembling a sun on the right, accompanied by a wavy line that may evoke water or wind. The juxtaposition of textual and pictorial elements invites a personal, perhaps coded, expression of affection amid an otherwise abstract field.
Technique & Style
Sekula employs gouache for flat, opaque color fields, while pencil and ink generate linear marks and texture. Cut‑and‑pasted paper fragments introduce collage, and incised lines add a tactile quality. The overall effect is characteristic of her experimental approach, merging drawing, painting, and assemblage within a single, compact format.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to Sekula’s output during her active years in the New York art community of the 1940s and early 1950s, a period when she was linked to Abstract Expressionist circles and Surrealist acquaintances. It remained in her personal notebooks until after her death in 1963, when it entered a private collection.
Context
Sekula, a Swiss‑American artist, navigated a largely male‑dominated avant‑garde scene while asserting a queer identity that was rarely visible at the time. Her work often blended personal narrative with the gestural language of Abstract Expressionism, reflecting both the social constraints and the artistic freedoms of mid‑century New York.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sonja Sekula (8 April 1918 – 25 April 1963) (also known as Sonia Sekula) was an American artist linked with the abstract expressionist movement, notable for her activity as an "out" lesbian in the New York art world during the 1940s and…
