Untitled (From Ten Days) 1971

Brice Marden created this print, "Untitled (From Ten Days)," using lithography, a process where an image is drawn on a stone or metal plate with a greasy substance, then printed. The material influence here is stark; lithography allows for a subtle texture, which Marden exploits to create a dense, velvety black surface, interrupted only by the grid. This grid is critical. It speaks to Marden’s interest in structure, but also to the implied labor of its making. Each line would have been carefully considered and applied, building up the image incrementally. Lithography itself has a rich history, linked to the rise of mass media. Though Marden is using it in the realm of fine art, the process is inherently connected to broader issues of production and consumption. It is a reminder that even the most seemingly abstract art is rooted in material processes and social context.