Untitled
1919
ink
From the collection of Museum of Modern Art
1919
ink
From the collection of Museum of Modern Art
Dominant colour
Untitled is a 1919 ink by Otto Mueller, depicting bathing, held at Museum of Modern Art.
Two girls sit by a lake—one dips her toes in the water, the other hugs her knees on the grass. The lines are loose, almost like a quick sketch, with soft gray tones. Mueller made this print right after World War I, when many artists turned to simple, quiet scenes. The girls look calm, but the rough texture of the lithograph—where ink sits on the surface instead of sinking in—gives the image a raw, unfinished feel. If you like how Mueller draws figures with gentle curves, look up lithography to see how artists use stone or metal plates to make prints like this.
