Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Davis. It dates from 1939 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
The word "FISH" is written in the blue section, and there’s a tiny car on the yellow part.
This picture looks like a city map gone wild. Bright blocks of blue, pink, and yellow fill the page. Black lines zigzag everywhere—buildings, streets, and even a church steeple. The word "FISH" is written in the blue section, and there’s a tiny car on the yellow part. The whole thing feels busy but kind of fun.
The artist signed it "Stuart Davis" in the corner. He made this in 1939 using a printmaking method.
Look up lithography to see how this kind of print was made.
Overview
Created in 1939, this lithograph by Stuart Davis presents a densely packed urban tableau rendered in vivid blocks of blue, pink, and yellow. Black, erratic lines intersect the surface, suggesting streets, buildings, and a church steeple, while a small car and the word “FISH” appear as playful insertions. The composition’s energetic rhythm reflects the artist’s fascination with the visual pulse of the modern city.
Subject & Meaning
The work abstracts a city map, transforming ordinary infrastructure into a kaleidoscopic pattern of color and line. By foregrounding commercial signage and everyday details, Davis hints at the bustling, commercialized life of American metropolises, while the inclusion of the word “FISH” and the overall musicality of the forms echo his ongoing interest in jazz as a metaphor for urban dynamism.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the image was produced by drawing directly onto a limestone surface with greasy media, then transferring the design onto paper through a chemical process that preserves fine line work and flat color fields. Davis’s modernist vocabulary—sharp geometric shapes, bold primary hues, and fragmented perspective—places the piece within the broader trajectory of early twentieth‑century American abstraction.
History & Provenance
Stuart Davis, a figure linked to both the Ashcan School and the rise of American modernism, created the print during a period when he was involved in New Deal art projects funded by federal agencies. The lithograph bears his signature in the lower corner, confirming its authenticity, and it has circulated through private collections since its original issuance in the late 1930s.
Context
The late 1930s saw a surge of government‑sponsored art initiatives aimed at supporting artists during the Great Depression. Davis’s participation in these programs coincided with his exploration of urban themes and jazz-inspired visual rhythms, positioning this lithograph as both a product of its economic moment and a statement about the vitality of American city life.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edward Stuart Davis (December 7, 1892 – June 24, 1964) was an American modernist painter.
