Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Michael Morris. It dates from 1967 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
In contrast, the right side presents a rigid grid of orange and blue geometric shapes, resembling a structured window with crisscrossed panes.
Created in 1967, Untitled is a screenprint by Canadian artist Michael Morris (1942–2022), produced as part of a portfolio of thirteen screenprints, one of which includes hand additions. The work exemplifies Morris's engagement with the formalist concerns of the late 1960s, utilizing the graphic potential of the screenprint medium to explore the tension between order and spontaneity. The composition is strictly bifurcated: the left field features thick, irregular blue lines that zigzag across a white ground, evoking a sense of gestural freedom.
In contrast, the right side presents a rigid grid of orange and blue geometric shapes, resembling a structured window with crisscrossed panes. Within this grid, orange squares repeat in a precise pattern, establishing a visual rhythm that opposes the loose, wobbly quality of the linear elements on the left. This juxtaposition highlights Morris's interest in the interplay between systematic repetition and intuitive mark-making, a recurring theme in his practice during this period.
The piece stands as a significant example of Canadian printmaking from the late 1960s, reflecting the era's broader exploration of abstraction and the materiality of the printed image.
Subject & Meaning
The composition divides the surface vertically. On the left, a series of thick, irregular blue lines meander across a white field, suggesting a spontaneous, gestural gesture. The right side presents a tightly ordered grid of orange squares intersected by blue rectangles, evoking the structure of a window pane and contrasting the free‑hand quality of the left side.
Technique & Style
Morris employed traditional screen‑printing techniques to lay down flat areas of pigment, then introduced hand‑drawn variations on the blue lines, giving them a wobbly, organic quality. The juxtaposition of precise, repeated orange units with the looser blue strokes highlights his exploration of controlled versus improvised mark‑making within a single planar field.
History & Provenance
The work was produced as part of a limited portfolio of thirteen screenprints in 1967, a year marked by Morris’s experimentation with color and modular patterns. It entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection shortly after its creation, where it remains on view as part of the institution’s holdings of mid‑century American printmaking.
Context
During the late 1960s, Morris’s practice aligned with broader movements in abstract art that emphasized flat color, repetition, and the tension between systematic design and hand‑crafted intervention. This print reflects those concerns, positioning Morris alongside contemporaries who investigated the boundaries of print media as a vehicle for both precision and expressive gesture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Michael Morris D.F.A. was a British-born Canadian visual artist, archivist, educator, and curator. Morris has also completed successful works in film, photography, video, installation, correspondence art, and performance.
