“Stop and examine this drawing to see how Mogens Balle uses just two ballpoint pens to create a surprisingly complex and energetic abstract world, full of movement and intriguing, half-formed shapes.”
This small drawing, made with red and black ballpoint pens, presents a vibrant, almost chaotic energy. Abstract forms, reminiscent of organic shapes or perhaps fragmented figures, intertwine and overlap across the ivory tracing paper. The lines are fluid and spontaneous, suggesting a rapid creation process that captures an immediate thought or feeling. Notice how the two colors, red and black, are used to create depth and distinction, with the red often appearing to push forward while the black recedes or defines edges. The work feels like a glimpse into a subconscious landscape, where recognizable elements are just out of reach, inviting the viewer to piece together their own narrative from the dynamic interplay of lines and color.
- Artist
- Mogens Balle
- Date
- 1966
- Medium
- Red and black ballpoint pens on ivory tracing paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 15 × 10 cm (5 15/16 × 3 15/16 in.)
- Collection
- Prints and Drawings
- Culture
- United States
- Credit line
- Edward and Eleanor DeWitt Design Award Endowment and purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The way red lines seem to vibrate against the black ones.
Look for faint, ghost-like shapes emerging from the tangled lines.
The deliberate pressure variations in the pen strokes.
How the tracing paper's texture interacts with the ink.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Untitled — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Mogens Balle
1921–1988 · Kingdom of DenmarkMogens Balle, a Danish painter, created vibrant, abstract works, often exploring the spontaneous and experimental.
Further Works by Balle
Daniel Webster
Art Institute of Chicago
The Ball
Art Institute of Chicago
The Masked Ball
Art Institute of Chicago
Vase
1948 · Art Institute of Chicago
Bottle
1950 · Art Institute of Chicago
Feet with Campbell's Soup Can
1960 · Art Institute of Chicago
Feet with Sea Shells
1960 · Art Institute of Chicago
Mt. Negoi in Transylvania Alps Near Faragas Romania Eur Asia
1967 · Art Institute of Chicago
More from CoBrA
More works to explore
Beyond Balle and CoBrA: works from the same years.
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Four Mona Lisas
Andy Warhol · 1978 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Greyed Rainbow
Jackson Pollock · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Sun Spot
Yayoi Kusama · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
La grande bellezza
Pierre Alechinsky · 1965
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Essai
Sam Francis · 1963 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Impregnazione
Piero Manzoni · 1958
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Alka Seltzer
Roy Lichtenstein · 1966 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Untitled (Pair of Vases)
Keith Haring · 1981 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Captain Joseph Medill Patterson
Ivan Puni · 1962 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Woman at the Piano
Philip Evergood · 1955 · Smithsonian American Art Museum
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Untitled (Brown and Gray)
Mark Rothko · 1969 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1950s–1980s
Nude under a Pine Tree
Pablo Picasso · 1959 · Art Institute of Chicago

