The Moon has been looming overtop of humans since before recorded history. The silent counterpart to the mighty sun, the moon is ever present in our eyes, our minds, and in our imagination. The way the moon has been weaved into different mythologies, religions, traditions, and cultures from all around the world is astounding but also not surprising, as the moon is something we all experience. This introspective look at artworks featuring the Moon strives to make comparisons between works that span centuries and many different style and mediums, all of whom share the same goal of depicting something we see every night, the Moon.
33 Items in this Learning Collection
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Copyright
All Rights Reserved
()
Untitled
Accession Number
1976/2.120
Title
Untitled
Artist(s)
Louise Nevelson
Artist Nationality
American (North American)
Object Creation Date
1973
Medium & Support
screenprint on paper
Dimensions
12 in x 9 in (30.5 cm x 22.9 cm);19 5/16 in x 14 5/16 in (49 cm x 36.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Robert Rauschenberg
Label copy
Louise Nevelson was born in Russia in 1899. While she was still a child, her family moved to the U.S. and settled in Rockland, Maine, where she grew up. As early as the age of nine Nevelson knew that she would become a sculptor. It was not until after her marriage, however, and after having educated herself as an actress, pianist, dancer, singer, and painter, that she began her career as a sculptor. She exhibited works in group shows in the 1930s, but it was not until 1941, at the age of 40, that Nevelson was offered her first one-woman show.
Nevelson’s desire to sculpt never faded, but she began to explore print media after 1963, eventually becoming very prolific. This particular silkscreen, Untitled, from 1973, was created for The New York Collection for Stockholm portfolio that featured the work of 30 artists. Nevelson was always secretive about the meaning of her artwork, stating that she wished to encourage viewers to use their own resources and imagination to solve that mystery. In this work, a circular form dominates the composition; it appears to radiate, like a sun or a moon, creating the impression that a landscape is being depicted. On the other hand, it can also function on a purely formal level through its investigation of form, color, and balance.
Jamina Ramírez, Intern for Modern and Contemporary Art, on the occasion of the exhibition The New York School: Abstract Expressionism and Beyond, July 20, 2002 – January 19, 2003
Subject matter
This work was part of a portfolio of 30 works, created as a fund-raising effort for the project Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). The project was partially-funded by the director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm at the time. A Russian-born, American artist, Nevelson is known primarily for her sculptural production. In this print, the formal elements are reminiscent of her use of found objects in her three-dimensional work. The shapes arranged here resemble her sculptural shadow boxes but in two-dimensions.
Physical Description
This print is an abstract composition in black, white and lavender. In the upper right, there is a black circle on a white background shape. The left and lower portions are made up of black shapes. At the lower center, a lavendar rectangular form is also included, overlapped by a black shape that is slightly broken up by thin white lines. The print is numbered (l.l.) "275/300" and signed (l.r.) "Louise Nevelson" in pencil.
Primary Object Classification
Print
Primary Object Type
abstract
Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
The New York Collection for Stockholm
collaboration
feminism
form (composition concepts)
modern and contemporary art
portfolios (groups of works)
printmaking
women (female humans)
1976/2.120
Title
Untitled
Artist(s)
Louise Nevelson
Artist Nationality
American (North American)
Object Creation Date
1973
Medium & Support
screenprint on paper
Dimensions
12 in x 9 in (30.5 cm x 22.9 cm);19 5/16 in x 14 5/16 in (49 cm x 36.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Robert Rauschenberg
Label copy
Louise Nevelson was born in Russia in 1899. While she was still a child, her family moved to the U.S. and settled in Rockland, Maine, where she grew up. As early as the age of nine Nevelson knew that she would become a sculptor. It was not until after her marriage, however, and after having educated herself as an actress, pianist, dancer, singer, and painter, that she began her career as a sculptor. She exhibited works in group shows in the 1930s, but it was not until 1941, at the age of 40, that Nevelson was offered her first one-woman show.
Nevelson’s desire to sculpt never faded, but she began to explore print media after 1963, eventually becoming very prolific. This particular silkscreen, Untitled, from 1973, was created for The New York Collection for Stockholm portfolio that featured the work of 30 artists. Nevelson was always secretive about the meaning of her artwork, stating that she wished to encourage viewers to use their own resources and imagination to solve that mystery. In this work, a circular form dominates the composition; it appears to radiate, like a sun or a moon, creating the impression that a landscape is being depicted. On the other hand, it can also function on a purely formal level through its investigation of form, color, and balance.
Jamina Ramírez, Intern for Modern and Contemporary Art, on the occasion of the exhibition The New York School: Abstract Expressionism and Beyond, July 20, 2002 – January 19, 2003
Subject matter
This work was part of a portfolio of 30 works, created as a fund-raising effort for the project Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). The project was partially-funded by the director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm at the time. A Russian-born, American artist, Nevelson is known primarily for her sculptural production. In this print, the formal elements are reminiscent of her use of found objects in her three-dimensional work. The shapes arranged here resemble her sculptural shadow boxes but in two-dimensions.
Physical Description
This print is an abstract composition in black, white and lavender. In the upper right, there is a black circle on a white background shape. The left and lower portions are made up of black shapes. At the lower center, a lavendar rectangular form is also included, overlapped by a black shape that is slightly broken up by thin white lines. The print is numbered (l.l.) "275/300" and signed (l.r.) "Louise Nevelson" in pencil.
Primary Object Classification
Primary Object Type
abstract
Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
The New York Collection for Stockholm
collaboration
feminism
form (composition concepts)
modern and contemporary art
portfolios (groups of works)
printmaking
women (female humans)
