Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Costantino Nivola. It dates from 1975 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
after fleeing Fascism in 1939, used printmaking to explore urban energy in his later years, diverging from his better-known concrete reliefs.
Created in 1975, this print is one of fifteen works in a mixed-media portfolio by Costantino Nivola. It combines lithography and screenprinting, techniques that allowed layered textures and bold color contrasts. Nivola, an Italian-born artist who settled in the U.S. after fleeing Fascism in 1939, used printmaking to explore urban energy in his later years, diverging from his better-known concrete reliefs.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a dense, abstracted cityscape where buildings, vehicles, and figures merge into a chaotic tangle. No single structure dominates; instead, the composition conveys movement and overcrowding through overlapping forms. The lack of clear perspective suggests a subjective, sensory experience of urban life rather than a literal representation.
Technique & Style
Nivola layered lithographic lines with screenprinted blocks of color, creating a tactile, almost scribbled surface. Thick, irregular strokes and abrupt color shifts, red, blue, yellow against monochrome backgrounds, emulate the energy of a rapid sketch. The roughness is intentional, rejecting polished precision in favor of dynamic, hand-made immediacy.
History & Provenance
This work emerged from a portfolio produced during Nivola’s tenure at a New York print workshop, where he experimented with combining traditional and modern methods. The portfolio was distributed in limited editions, primarily to institutions and collectors familiar with his sculptural work. Its production coincided with his academic engagements at American universities.
Context
In the 1970s, Nivola was revisiting themes from his earlier murals and reliefs but translating them into smaller, more intimate formats. His prints reflect a broader postwar American interest in expressive abstraction and the visual language of urban density, aligning with contemporaries who explored chaos and rhythm in city life.
Legacy
Though less known than his public sculptures, this portfolio demonstrates Nivola’s adaptability across media and his commitment to tactile expression. The work contributes to a lesser-discussed chapter in mid-century American printmaking, where European modernist sensibilities intersected with American experimental practices.
Artist & collection
Artist
Costantino (also known as Antine, in Sardinia, or Tino, in the US) Nivola (July 5, 1911 – May 6, 1988) was an Italian sculptor, architectural sculptor, muralist, designer, and teacher.
