Untitled

This small drawing, Untitled, embodies the same brushstrokes, space, and vigor of the larger paintings that made Kline a famous and influential artist. The small touch of green on the bottom left indicates that the drawing was made before the period of 1950 to 1956, when Kline worked solely in black and white, thus dating the work to no later than 1950. Kline’s style in the early 1950s is characterized not only by the gradual transition from color to black and white, but also by his use of ink on paper sketches as direct inspiration for his large-scale black-and-white paintings. Kline’s attraction to black and white paint can be related not only to these studies but also to his admiration for the contrast of light and dark found in Rembrandt van Rijn’s (1606–1669) work. Perhaps the most striking and distinguishing feature of this drawing is the emphatic geometric design. The large square—intersected by diagonal and curvilinear lines—that dominates the central area of the drawing was a recurring motif for Kline from 1950 to 1956. Untitled represents many of the stylistic features that distinguish Kline’s most mature work and testifies to his powerful contribution to Abstract Expressionism.

Resource: The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, Sue Taylor and Richard Born, eds. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1990, p. 143.