Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by William Kentridge. It dates from 1989 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Unlike his later animated films, this piece is a static print, yet it retains his signature focus on transformation and ambiguity.
Created in 1989, this screenprint by William Kentridge is part of a body of work that engages with political and psychological tension in apartheid-era South Africa. Unlike his later animated films, this piece is a static print, yet it retains his signature focus on transformation and ambiguity. The composition centers on two opposing profiles, their interaction suggesting internal or societal conflict, rendered with stark contrasts and deliberate imperfection.
Subject & Meaning
Two profiled faces, facing each other, embody a duality—perhaps reason versus impulse, compliance versus resistance. Below them, the phrase 'the Battle between YES & NO' is inscribed in a loose, handwritten script, introducing a tone of irony and introspection. The text, neither commanding nor neutral, mirrors the ambiguity of moral choices under oppressive systems, inviting viewers to consider the weight of silence and affirmation.
Technique & Style
Kentridge employs screenprinting to achieve sharp, graphic contrasts between black ink and a warm, textured ground. The faces are rendered with bold, uneven lines that suggest both urgency and revision, echoing his drawing-based animation process. The background’s subtle patterning adds depth without distraction, keeping focus on the tension between the figures. The hand-drawn quality of the text reinforces the work’s intimate, personal character.
History & Provenance
This print emerged during a period when Kentridge was refining his visual language outside of animation, exploring how print media could convey political nuance. It was produced in the late 1980s, just before his internationally recognized animated films gained prominence. The work has been held in private and institutional collections since its creation, often cited in discussions of South African art’s engagement with memory and dissent.
Context
Made during the final years of apartheid, the print reflects a climate of ideological polarization and suppressed speech. Kentridge, working in Johannesburg, used art to interrogate power without direct propaganda. The duality of the faces and the ambiguous text align with broader cultural conversations about complicity, resistance, and the fragility of truth in a divided society.
Legacy
Though less known than his animations, this screenprint exemplifies Kentridge’s early commitment to visual ambiguity as a tool for political reflection. Its influence is evident in later works that continue to explore layered histories and the persistence of unresolved conflict. The piece remains a quiet but potent example of how printmaking can carry complex moral inquiry with minimal means.
Artist & collection
Artist
William Kentridge (born 28 April 1955) is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films.
