Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an acrylic print by Tom Wesselmann. It dates from 1978 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1978, this untitled work is part of a series of five embossed prints that incorporate pencil and acrylic details. The piece merges the flatness of printmaking with painterly interventions, exemplifying the artist’s interest in the dialogue between graphic reproduction and hand‑applied color within a pop‑art framework.
Subject & Meaning
Her head is tipped back, eyes closed, and her lips are rendered in a vivid red, while a single white earring punctuates the composition.
The image presents a reclining female figure rendered in simplified, smooth planes of yellow and peach. Her head is tipped back, eyes closed, and her lips are rendered in a vivid red, while a single white earring punctuates the composition. The background consists of bold blocks of teal, red and gray that suggest an interior or outdoor setting, emphasizing the work’s focus on surface and form rather than narrative detail.
Technique & Style
The work combines an embossing process—raising the paper surface to create tactile depth—with hand‑drawn pencil lines and acrylic paint applied after printing. This hybrid approach yields a flat, graphic appearance reminiscent of cut‑out designs, while the added pigments introduce subtle variations in hue and texture, highlighting the artist’s exploration of color fields and stylized figuration.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to a limited portfolio of five prints produced by the artist in the late 1970s, a period when he was expanding his practice beyond painting and collage into print media. The series was issued in small editions, and individual prints have circulated through galleries and private collections that focus on post‑war American pop art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas K. Wesselmann (February 23, 1931 – December 17, 2004) was an American artist associated with the pop art movement who worked in painting, collage and sculpture.
