Clark, Ed

Ed Clark, an African American abstract painter, achieved belated international recognition by employing a push broom and vibrant hues to evoke the natural world and express sentiments regarding racial injustice. Over seven decades, Clark garnered acclaim for his experimentation with bold colors, paint application, and mediums, pioneering shaped canvases postwar. His distinctive technique involved sweeping a broom across the canvas, infusing his works with dynamism and motion, particularly evident in his trademark thick bands of vibrant colors interspersed with white. Despite his dedication to abstraction, Clark’s travels to various countries, including Paris, Nigeria, Brazil, Cuba, Martinique, Mexico, and China, influenced his work subtly through the interplay of light and space in each location. His focus remained on the materiality of paint and the sense of velocity and grandeur achieved through the sweeping motion of the broom. Clark, who passed away at 93, resided in Detroit.