Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink drawing by Raymond Pettibon. It dates from 1994 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Raymond Pettibon’s 1994 drawing, titled Untitled, is executed in black ink and colored ink on paper. The work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. It presents a compact, narrative scene that combines text and simple line imagery, characteristic of Pettibon’s practice of merging visual and verbal elements.
Subject & Meaning
Above the figures, a handwritten sentence reads, “In my youth my ears were deafened by a variety of shrill cries: Liberty, Progress, Science, Culture.
The composition juxtaposes a diminutive ship drifting on a stylized wave with a hunched figure that presses its hands over its ears. Above the figures, a handwritten sentence reads, “In my youth my ears were deafened by a variety of shrill cries: Liberty, Progress, Science, Culture.” The gesture suggests an attempt to block overwhelming societal slogans, while the distant ship may evoke an elusive aspiration.
Technique & Style
Pettibon employs precise line work and cross‑hatching to create tonal variation, using both monochrome and colored inks to delineate forms. The drawing’s economy of line and the integration of text reflect his graphic‑inspired approach, where scribbled script and stark outlines coexist, producing a visual language that is both direct and ambiguous.
History & Provenance
Created in 1994, the piece follows Pettibon’s transition from the Southern California punk scene of the early 1980s to broader recognition within the contemporary art market. The drawing entered the Museum of Modern Art’s collection, where it remains accessible to the public as part of the institution’s holdings of late‑20th‑century American art.
Context
Pettibon’s work often draws on American cultural symbols, literature, and political rhetoric, interlacing them with themes of sexuality and sport. Untitled continues this dialogue, using minimal visual cues and a textual fragment to comment on the cacophony of ideological promises that characterized the post‑Cold‑War era, reflecting the artist’s ongoing critique of cultural narratives.
Artist & collection
Artist
Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn, June 16, 1957) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City.
