Untitled

Untitled

Mel Bochner

1990

ink

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This painting is four squares with bold colors—bright yellow, gray, teal, and orange. Each has thick black lines forming sharp shapes, like boxes or arrows, layered over rough brushstrokes. The colors clash but feel intentional, almost like a puzzle. The artist used a printing method that lets ink sit on a flat surface before transferring it to paper. That’s why the lines look both precise and slightly messy. Next, look up lithography to see how this technique works.

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