Name/Title
UntitledEntry/Object ID
2019.69Description
Abstract painting with brown, uneven background and seven geometric multi-colored shapes throughout its composition.Context
Abstractionist Roland Ginzel established his career in Chicago in the middle of the twentieth century after a period of time studying in Iowa, London, and Rome. Although imagist and figurative painting nearly dominated the local art world during that period, Ginzel was dedicated to his own nonrepresentational composition. He experimented with aesthetic approaches ranging from expressionism to minimalism, occasionally borrowing forms and details from other trends. In 1954 he and his wife, painter Ellen Lanyon, co-founded the Graphic Art Workshop in Chicago, which operated for two years as a printmaking studio.
Untitled is demonstrative of a composition technique Ginzel replicated in many works from this period. He used a single dominant colored background upon which colorful shapes are juxtaposed. The forms are neither amorphous nor purely geometric. Instead, the patterned figures nearly appear to be excerpted from another painting and collaged onto the canvas. Ginzel referred to his works as employing “lyrical formalism” and “soft geometry,” which Untitled illustrates through texture and tone.Acquisition
Accession
2019.69-71Source or Donor
Corbett vs Dempsey GalleryAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Courtesy of Corbett vs. DempseyMade/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Ginzel, RolandRole
PainterDate made
1970Ethnography
Cultural Region
Continent
North AmericaCity
ChicagoState/Province
IllinoisCountry
United States of AmericaInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureLocation
Verso, centerTranscription
"GINZEL"Material/Technique
black pigmentLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
PaintingNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsGetty AAT
Concept
abstraction, forms of expression (artistic concept), artistic concepts, geometric patterns, patterns (design elements), design elements (attributes)Hierarchy Name
Associated Concepts (hierarchy name), Design Elements (hierarchy name)Facet
Associated Concepts Facet, Physical Attributes FacetDimensions
Dimension Description
FramedHeight
59 inWidth
47-1/8 inDepth
1-5/8 inColor
Brown, Red, Black, Yellow, Green, Tan