Untitled

1975–76

Not on view

In the early 1970s, Al Loving began to piece together dyed and painted strips of canvas and found fabric in search of a style that more effectively channeled his formal inheritance as a black artist. With its torn, shaggy edges and interwoven method of construction—evocative of the physics of weaving, quilting, or fraying strips of torn cloth—Untitled alludes to a distinctly African American craft tradition and translates it into the language of painted paper. Inspired by fabric accidentally stained by his daughter in his studio, Loving’s strips are washed, sprayed, and splashed with hot, synthetic hues evocative of the glowing palette then only recently afforded by advanced industrial invention. In 1974, Peter Schjeldahl wrote that Loving’s works seem "almost to be caught in the act of moving across the wall."

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Inscriptions and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Untitled
Artist: Al Loving (American, Detroit, Michigan 1935–2005 New York)
Date: 1975–76
Medium: Torn, painted papers between two Plexiglas sheets
Dimensions: 50 5/8 in. × 49 in. (128.6 × 124.5 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Madeline Mohr, 1980
Object Number: 1980.574.3
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

By Al Loving

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Untitled, Al Loving American, Acrylic on three joined canvases — Untitled
Al Loving
1971

Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American — Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907

The Block, Romare Bearden American, Cut and torn pasted printed, colored and painted papers, metallic papers, graphite, porous-point pen, watercolor, gouache, and ink on Masonite — The Block
Romare Bearden
1971

Lady with Red Hair, Al Loving American, Torn and pasted painted papers on white plastic — Lady with Red Hair
Al Loving
1979

Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American — Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.