Meaning & Analysis

Untitled (VI) is one of several etchings that George Condo produced in 1989. The work shows a character in elaborate dress balancing an apple at the end of their index finger. It is singed in the bottom right corner of the etching.

Untitled (VI) is an etching by George Condo depicting a character. In the context of his wider oeuvre, it is likely that this was, once again, a depiction of a clown. In the same year Condo produced a portrait screen print entitled Clown. Several works on the subjects of clowns propelled the artist to fame in the 1980s. He has continued to explore this theme, producing a work entitled Laughing Clown Composition as recently as 2020.

In this work Condo plays with the proportions of the sitter. For instance, the puffy sleave of the sitter’s left arm is much wider than his neck and head. The etching-work done to the face is particularly interesting. Condo opted to place the left side of the face in complete darkness which helps to shroud the sitter in mystery. The elaborate clothing that Condo depicts is in keeping with other contemporaneous works. Both figures have a diamond shaped shirt with embellishments on the collar. This is symptomatic of Condo’s approach and interests in the late 1980s.