American artist Ed Clark transformed widespread understandings of the painted canvas. Using primarily acrylic paint, he pushed the boundaries of abstract art by reshaping his canvases and rejecting traditional artistic equipment. While living in Paris in the 1950s, Clark began using his signature tool, a push broom, as a method of applying paint to canvas. This approach allowed for a broad application of color and enabled the interaction between colors to become multi-dimensional and spontaneous. Influenced by his travels around the world, Clark explored how his work appeared in different locations and shifted under distinct lighting conditions. Throughout his practice, he maintained, “The truth is in the physical brushstroke, and the subject of the painting is the paint itself.”

–Alicia Davis, from the Glenstone Field Guide