Lot 143: LYGIA CLARK

LYGIA CLARK 1920 - 1988 SUPERFÍCIE MODULADA N˚ 2 industrial paint on wood 41 by 82cm.; 16 1/8 by 32 1/4 in. Executed in 1957-1982.

Galeria Raquel Arnaud, São Paulo
Private Collection, United Kingdom

Lygia Clark was one of the most innovative Latin American artists of the 20th Century. She transformed the practice of geometric abstraction through a profound belief in the importance of interaction between an artwork and "participant".

Clark initially explored the Modernist traditions that infiltrated Brazilian culture in the 1940s, and looked toward geometric abstractions and the interplay of colour and line in the construction of pictorial space. These initial investigations soon developed into bolder, more dynamic compositions. The artist's pivotal role in the Rio de Janeiro-based Neo-Concrete movement in the late 1950s was imperative to her artistic development. The group challenged rationalist Constructivism and promoted a subjective, more organic approach to art. The use of new materials was greatly encouraged, as was the importance of invention and creativity.

Conceived in 1957 and realised in 1982, Superfície Modulada No. 2 is a beautifully serene example from this incredibly important transitional period. Clark's use of industrial paint on wood together with her method of penetrating the picture surface with linear divisions, underscores her interest in physical versus pictorial space. By fracturing the surface of the painting with fine recessed lines, Clark creates something tangible, almost three-dimensional, thus disallowing a planar reading of the surface. The absence of a frame or visible support allows the artwork into real space within which the viewer can exist. Lygia Clark would endeavour throughout her career to create a more direct relationship between the body and the object itself. With Superfície Modulada No. 2, Clark creates an alternative for the art object. With this early and seminal work, we see the beginning of the artist's conception of art as an immersive and subjective experience.