The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Untitled (Go)

Untitled (Go)

1949
(American, 1932–2007)
America, 20th century
colored pencil and graphite on paper
40.8 x 39.2 cm (16 1/16 x 15 7/16 in.)
Gift of Katharine Lee Reid 2019.246
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Kitaj made this drawing in order to enter a local exhibition for young artists during his senior year of high school in Troy, NY.

Description

This early drawing by R. B. Kitaj presents a humorous distortion of scale. An arrow with the word “Go” points toward the man who dominates the center of the drawing, with his wide stance and clown-like shoes, unnaturally stiff pants, suspenders, short tie, and cigar. Behind him in much reduced scale, Kitaj drew the main street of an American small town, with its storefronts stretched horizontally and filled with hand-drawn signs. The picture’s playful distortions may be intended to suggest the man’s outsized personality or influence in the small town; at the same time, the drawing shows a young realist with Pop inclinations.
  • Family of the artist (mother and step-father)
    c. 1960-2019
    Katharine Lee Reid, NC
    December 2, 2019
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Untitled (Go)|url=false|author=R. B. Kitaj|year=1949|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.246