Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Arthur Dove in 1925.

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Museum of Modern Art.

What movement is Untitled?

Untitled is associated with American Folk Art.

Artwork

Untitled

Arthur Dove , 1925

Untitled is a wood painting by the American Folk Art artist Arthur Dove. It dates from 1925 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1925, this untitled work by Arthur Dove merges a variety of tactile elements—wood shingles, needlepoint embroidery, pressed botanical specimens, and a fragment of a 17th‑century biblical concordance—onto a cloth‑covered wooden panel. The assemblage functions as a three‑dimensional collage that blurs the line between painting and object.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes natural materials—red and brown flowers, ferns, dried leaves—with a faded page from John Downame’s *A Brief Concordance or Table to the Bible*. The contrast between organic textures and textual remnants suggests a dialogue between the material world and spiritual or literary reference, a concern that recurs in Dove’s experimental pieces of the 1920s.

Technique & Style

Dove adhered the components with glue and stitching, arranging the shingles as a rough background while the needlepoint secures the floral elements onto dark fabric. The biblical page is pinned beneath, its legible but weathered script partially visible. The overall effect is deliberately unrefined, emphasizing the raw qualities of the gathered objects rather than a polished surface.

History & Provenance

Part of a series of experimental collages Dove produced during the mid‑1920s, the piece reflects his early forays into abstraction through mixed media. It remained in private collections for several decades before entering a public institution’s holdings in the early 2000s, where it has been displayed as an example of American modernist experimentation.

Context

At the time Dove was exploring alternatives to traditional easel painting, influenced by European avant‑garde movements and the American interest in folk and vernacular materials. The inclusion of a religious text aligns with contemporary modernists’ fascination with found objects and the incorporation of cultural artifacts into art.