Untitled
1918
charcoal
From the collection of Museum of Modern Art
1918
charcoal
From the collection of Museum of Modern Art
Dominant colour
Untitled is a 1918 charcoal by Pavel Tchelitchew, held at Museum of Modern Art.
This drawing shows a face and shoulders twisted into sharp angles. The features are broken into jagged planes—eyes, nose, and mouth look like overlapping pieces of paper. Clothes cling in stiff, geometric folds, and the hands grip something unseen. The whole thing is drawn in black charcoal, with some rough sketchy lines floating around the edges. The artist pushed the face into extreme distortion, almost like it’s melting or shattering. The way the lines create texture makes it feel raw and urgent. Want to see more? Check out scumbling.
