Catalogue Entry
Recto, in ink, upper right [by Agnes Gorky Phillips]: A Gorky
Verso, in blue pencil, upper left [not in artist's hand]: 130; in pencil, lower left: 12 [circled] B; in blue ink, upper right: 1930–1932; 15 [circled]
The verso inscription information and marking are known from the records of the Arshile Gorky Foundation.
Commentary
In 1929, Gorky began a series of abstract works which is now referred to as "Nighttime, Enigma, and Nostalgia." While he continued working on this until 1936, it was between 1931 and 1934 when he was most dedicated to developing the composition. Ultimately, he produced nearly one hundred drawings and three related paintings. The body of work can be divided into subsets, such as Objects and Enigma, which were Gorky's own titles, as well as the posthumously titled "Fish and Head," "Column with Objects" and "Écorché." This drawing is part of the subset Objects, of which there are thirty-two known examples. Its title derives from that which Gorky gave to the drawing D0140, when it was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in January 1941 (see that work's commentary).
