Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Trenton Doyle Hancock. It dates from 2002 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 2002, this untitled work is a black‑and‑white etching by American artist Trenton Doyle Hancock. It forms part of a limited portfolio comprising nine individual prints, each produced using the same intaglio process. The piece is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a small, centrally placed skull rendered in stark contrast against a dark field. Two diminutive horns crown the skull, while the eye sockets are empty and the mouth is suggested by a jagged line, evoking a minimalist, symbolic treatment of mortality and the uncanny.
Technique & Style
Executed through traditional etching, the artist incised the design onto a metal plate, allowing the acid to bite the lines that later hold ink. The resulting print displays crisp, precise contours and a flat tonal range, characteristic of the clean, graphic quality achievable in intaglio printmaking.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the work entered the portfolio of nine etchings that Hancock assembled in the early 2000s. The set was subsequently acquired by the Museum of Modern Art, where it remains on view as part of the institution’s holdings of contemporary print media.
Artist & collection
Artist
Trenton Doyle Hancock is an American artist working with prints, drawings, and collaged-felt paintings.
