Untitled

Untitled

Tomma Abts

2013

graphite

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This painting shows a mix of straight and wavy lines in bright colors—reds, greens, blues, and grays—all tangled together. The lines overlap in some spots, creating a busy, almost maze-like shape. There’s no clear picture of anything real, just a jumble of marks on a plain white background. The artist used colored pencils to layer lines on top of each other, which makes the colors pop in some places. The way the lines cross and twist gives it a sense of movement, even though it’s not a real scene. If you like this style, check out cross-hatching to see how artists use lines to build up shapes and textures.

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