Untitled, # 17

Lucas Samaras

1975 · Brush and black ink, black ink wash, and metallic-colored paint on paper · Modern and Contemporary Art

Having previously introduced the hypodermic needle as a sculptural element in his boxes, Samaras later used it as a drawing tool to inject ink into wet paper. "The hypodermic is like a magic tool instead of a dumb brush," he said, "It’s like a prick, it’s impregnating the paper." Here Samaras uses the needle to spell the word "Draw" in black ink, surrounding it with metallic paint. Other four-letter words from this extensive series include "Work," "Exit," and "Dead."

Artist

Lucas Samaras

Date

1975

Medium

Brush and black ink, black ink wash, and metallic-colored paint on paper

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Gift of Arnold and Milly Glimcher, 1986