Untitled (1951) captures Grace Hartigan at a key moment in the development of her early practice, composed through a dynamic network of black and white marks. Dense black pigment is set against bare paper, while gestural strokes overlap and accumulate across the surface, combining dry-brushed passages with calligraphic marks to create an energetic composition.
Painted in the same year as Hartigan’s participation in the landmark Ninth Street Exhibition, the work belongs to the period in which she was becoming closely associated with the emerging New York School. Its compressed picture space and spontaneous handling reflect the gestural vocabulary central to Abstract Expressionism.