While the Russian-born sculptor was best known for her monochromatic, large-scale wood
assemblages, it was the principles of
collage, demonstrated in works like
Untitled that inspired her iconic sculptures. In the same way that Nevelson carefully arranged pieces of
found wooden and steel objects into monumental sculptures, Nevelson's two-dimensional collage works maintain her practice of salvaging found material like the mirror and cardboard used in this work, and organizing them in a loose geometric composition. Emphasizing surface, line, and orientation, works like this, reveal the influence of
Cubism and Nevelson's early training with German Abstract Expressionist painter
Hans Hofmann, whose work often foregrounded
geometric shapes. Often considered a type of sketching or preparatory work for her larger sculptures, collages like
Untitled, belie many of Nevelson's conscientious decisions about structure, scale, surface and depth.