Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Werner Drewes. It dates from 1937 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
This abstract artwork features a mix of black and white shapes, with the letters "a" and "A" prominently displayed.
This abstract artwork features a mix of black and white shapes, with the letters "a" and "A" prominently displayed. The composition includes various lines, some straight and others curved, adding visual interest to the piece.
The artwork is part of a portfolio of thirty-one lithographs, created by Werner Drewes in 1937. It is now held at The Museum of Modern Art.
If you're interested in exploring more of Drewes' work, you can check out the art of Werner Drewes.
Overview
Created in 1937, this untitled lithograph is one of a series of thirty-one prints produced by Werner Drewes. The work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art and exemplifies the artist’s practice of combining abstract forms with typographic elements.
Subject & Meaning
The composition consists of stark black and white shapes, intersected by a mixture of straight and curved lines. Prominent within the design are the letters “a” and “A,” which function as visual anchors amid the surrounding abstraction, suggesting an interplay between language and form.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the piece reflects Drewes’s engagement with Bauhaus principles, particularly the emphasis on geometric clarity and functional composition. While adhering to the medium’s capacity for precise line work, the print also conveys a personal, expressive quality that distinguishes it from purely formalist designs.
History & Provenance
Werner Drewes, a painter, printmaker, and educator who helped introduce Bauhaus ideas to the United States, produced the lithograph as part of a larger portfolio that explored both nonobjective and figurative themes. The work entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings, where it remains accessible for study and public view.
Artist & collection
Artist
Werner Drewes (1899–1985) was a painter, printmaker, and art teacher. Considered to be one of the founding fathers of American abstraction, he was one of the first artists to introduce concepts of the Bauhaus school…
