Untitled

Untitled

Barry Le Va

1996

graphite

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This painting looks messy on purpose. Black ink dots cover a big chunk of the middle, like a swarm. Around them, thick black lines make shapes—some look like buildings, others like furniture. The background is rough, with gray and brown streaks. A few small red lines peek through here and there. The dots aren’t random. They’re all the same size and packed tight, like a puzzle piece missing one spot. The black lines feel heavy and uneven, almost like scribbles. Check out cross-hatching to see how artists use lines to build shapes.

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