Untitled

John Franklin Koenig was a painter, collage artist, printmaker, and photographer. Born in Seattle, Washington, Koenig served in the army in Europe during World War II. After returning to the United States, he took classes in in composition, architecture, and design, and he began painting and experimenting with collage and photography. In 1948 he returned to Europe and became part of the literary and artistic vanguard in Paris until his return to Seattle in 1980. Through his associations with European modern artists, Koenig developed his own intuitive mode of expression, exploring geometry, color, gesture, and texture. This untitled lithographic ink and gouache drawing by Koenig is a relatively early example of his experimentation with form, color, and medium. Its composition speaks both to the structures of his earlier collages and anticipates the evolution of his work toward lyrical abstraction.