A vintage mixed media on paper, Elegy, depicts an abstract composition attributed to Robert Burns Motherwell, American, 1915 to 1991. Inscribed, Robert Motherwell, lower right. Framed. Robert Motherwell is known for Abstract expressionist painting and collage. American painter, Robert Motherwell, was one of the founders and principal exponents of Abstract Expressionism, who was among the first American artists to cultivate accidental elements in his work. A precocious youth, Motherwell received a scholarship to study art when he was 11 years old. He preferred academic studies, however, and eventually took degrees in aesthetics from Stanford and Harvard universities. One of a kind artwork.