Ed Clark (United States, 1926–2019), Untitled (Paris Series), 1987
Acrylic on canvas. The Studio Museum in Harlem; gift of Schaina and Josephina Lurie Memorial Foundation
© Ed Clark
In 1956, in Paris, Ed Clark first began spreading his canvases on the floor and pushing piles of paint across the surfaces with large, utilitarian brooms. This process became his signature method, which he favored for its magnitude of gesture and its speed. In Untitled (Paris Series), one can easily imagine the broom swiftly interrupting the blue and pink swirls in one oversized stroke. The forms seem to blur, moving so quickly as to shift out of focus.
