Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an oil painting by the Contemporary Abstract artist Guadalupe Maravilla. It dates from 2021 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
The work is held by the Museum of Modern Art and is classified within a contemporary abstract movement that engages religious motifs.
Created in 2021, Untitled is an oil painting that incorporates tin, cotton, a glue mixture, and a wooden support. The work is held by the Museum of Modern Art and is classified within a contemporary abstract movement that engages religious motifs. Its visual field presents a luminous scene with a seated woman, assorted objects, a blue sky, a sun, and distant structures, all framed by a rough, woven cotton border.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a woman at a table, appears amidst vibrant items that suggest domestic or ritual activity. The surrounding sky and architecture evoke a sense of openness and community. The composition reflects the artist’s ongoing exploration of identity, migration, and collective healing, drawing on personal experiences as an undocumented immigrant and his involvement with communities confronting illness.
Technique & Style
Maravilla combines traditional oil painting with unconventional supports: a sheet of tin serves as the ground, while strips of frayed cotton, adhered with glue, extend beyond the painted surface and are attached to a wooden frame. This integration of textile and painting blurs the boundary between two‑dimensional image and sculptural object, creating a tactile, layered surface that challenges standard notions of canvas.
History & Provenance
The piece entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its completion, becoming part of the institution’s holdings of contemporary religious‑inspired works. Its acquisition reflects MoMA’s interest in artists who address sociopolitical themes through experimental media, and it remains on view as a representative example of Maravilla’s practice.
Context
Guadalupe Maravilla, born in 1976, arrived in the United States as an unaccompanied minor from El Salvador during the 1980s. His artistic output frequently merges personal migration narratives with broader concerns about health and community resilience. Untitled continues this trajectory, situating a personal, almost devotional scene within a material language that references both craft traditions and modernist abstraction.
Artist & collection
Artist
Guadalupe Maravilla (born 1976) is a transdisciplinary visual artist, choreographer, and healer.
