Untitled
1953
ink
From the collection of Museum of Modern Art
1953
ink
From the collection of Museum of Modern Art
This painting looks like a messy sketch that’s been blown up. You see thick black lines crisscrossing like a tangled web. Some shapes look like vases or cups, but they’re squished and wonky. The colors are mostly browns and purples, with a few pinkish spots. It doesn’t show real things—just bold marks and odd forms. The artist used a screenprint, which means this is a copy of an earlier work. The lines are sharp and the colors flat, like a stencil. Look up Paul Klee next—he made this strange, playful style.