Untitled

Untitled

Ad Reinhardt

1947

oil

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This painting is a blur of thick, messy colors. Yellow, green, and black brushstrokes cover the whole canvas. You can’t tell what it’s supposed to be—no shapes or faces, just splats of paint piled high. Some spots look darker, others brighter, but nothing stands out. The paint is so thick it almost looks like it was slapped on. The artist didn’t smooth it out at all. This style was all about how the paint itself felt, not what it showed. Look up impasto next to see how artists use thick paint like this.

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