Untitled (Sea Forms)
1937
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
color wood engraving
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Reba and Dave Williams Collection, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams
Accession Number
2008.115.5203
Art Historical Context
**Untitled (Sea Forms), 1937** John Ferren’s *Untitled (Sea Forms)* is a vibrant color wood engraving that captures the fluid, organic essence of marine life through abstract forms. Created in 1937, this reflects Ferren’s modernist sensibilities, honed during his time in Paris in the 1920s and early 1930s, where he absorbed influences from Surrealism and abstraction. The title evokes swirling waves, sea creatures, and rhythmic patterns, rendered in bold hues that suggest the dynamic energy of the ocean. Wood engraving, a meticulous intaglio technique using end-grain wood blocks, allowed Fer...