This painting, for which Clark made the study in 1958, was realised in 1984 for Clark’s solo exhibition Black Hole (Buraco Negro) at Galeria Paulo Klabin, Rio de Janeiro. The Study has crayon markings in red which Clark clearly decided to keep as part of the work.

1984 was a crucial year for Clark, it was her return to making art objects after a decade of focusing solely on ‘Structuring the Self’, the therapeutic period in the 1970s that blurred the lines between art and therapy by using simple, non-display ‘relational objects’ (stones, shells, plastic bags filled with air or water) to help individuals explore and confront their own subjective experiences. She returned to painting and sculpture in 1984 with this solo show in Rio.

The double date on this painting reflects the date which Clark conceived of the work and made a collage study, she then realised the work in 1984 and kept both works in her studio until her death in 1988.

This painting from the 1980s is rare and represents her late re-engagement with earlier work. We see her returning to her signature hard-edged geometry, exploration of surface as “space-time” and reduced colour and planar composition.

This painting, made 4 years before her death, represents one her final works where she returned to the origins of her practice: bold, simple and radical compositions.