Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an acrylic painting by Mark Lancaster. It dates from 1972 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Mark Lancaster’s 1972 work, Untitled, is an acrylic painting on canvas held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. The composition consists of a dense cluster of angular, shadowy forms that evoke the fractured appearance of broken glass or weathered stone. A subtle grid of thin gold lines runs across the surface, dividing the space and accentuating the irregularity of the shapes.
Subject & Meaning
The painting offers no explicit narrative, instead presenting an abstract field of jagged silhouettes rendered in muted browns, blacks, yellows, and occasional beige highlights. The juxtaposition of dark masses with the faint gold grid suggests a tension between chaos and order, inviting viewers to contemplate the interplay of natural fragmentation and imposed structure.
Technique & Style
Lancaster employs a heavy impasto application, building up thick, textured layers of acrylic that appear scraped and dabbed onto the canvas. This tactile surface creates a raw, unfinished quality, emphasizing the materiality of the paint. The delicate gold lines are executed with a finer brush, providing a contrasting linear precision against the rugged, gestural strokes.
History & Provenance
Created in 1972, the work entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings as part of its mid‑20th‑century American art acquisitions. Its inclusion reflects MoMA’s interest in documenting the experimental approaches to abstraction that characterized the period, particularly those exploring the physicality of paint.
Context
During the early 1970s, Lancaster was associated with a generation of British artists who moved between figurative and abstract modes, often integrating sculptural concerns into painting. Untitled aligns with contemporary explorations of texture and surface, echoing broader trends in post‑minimalist and process‑oriented art that emphasized the act of making as a central element of meaning.
Artist & collection
Artist
Christopher Ronald Mark Lancaster was a British-American artist and set designer who worked extensively with the Cunningham Dance Company.
