Untitled

Untitled

Ellsworth Kelly

1956

graphite

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

Contemporary sheet music

About this work

You see a long, skinny sheet of paper covered in pencil marks—no people, no trees, just rows of short, straight lines. Kelly drew this as a test run for a big metal wall sculpture. The lines look random, but each one was measured with a ruler. That mix of order and accident makes the drawing feel alive. If you like how simple shapes can feel bold, try looking up cross-hatching next.

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