Untitled

Untitled

David Smith

1959

gouache

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This piece is all black ink and white paper. The lines are bold, uneven, and messy—like scribbles or quick brushstrokes. Some shapes look like letters or symbols, but they’re stretched and broken apart. The paper has a rough edge, and the ink bleeds slightly in spots. The artist used *gouache*, a paint that’s thicker than watercolor but less heavy than oil. That’s why some marks look fuzzy or smudged. It’s not a clean drawing—it feels raw and fast. If you like this style, check out gouache to see how other artists use it.

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