Lygia Clark, one of the greatest Brazilian artists of the 20th century, has an exhibition of her work at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, reaffirming the importance of her work over time.
Born in October 1920 in Minas Gerais, Lygia Clark began her work with paintings, exploring the unimaginable layers possible in the experimental field. In 1947, already married with three children, she moved to Rio de Janeiro and began painting under the guidance of the visual artist Burle Marx. Known primarily for her ability to entice the viewer of her art, Lygia relinquished the label of artist, demanding to be called a “propositor”.
Between 1954 and 1957 he developed a constructivist painting, with the use of white and black, with industrial paint. Thus resulting in a change in the nature and direction of the frames, extending the color to the frame, and canceling it or even bringing it into the frame. This is what Lygia called the “Organic Line”.
His revolution didn't stop there. Being one of the pioneers in the development of geometric abstraction in Brazil, the artist created the series “Bicho”, a set of geometric metallic sculptures that were articulated by means of hinges, seeking public participation. At this point, Lygia understood that art could be a tool for reflecting the individual and the collective, thus impacting generations that would come to witness her work. The result: the audience as an actor and part of the work.
The most recent update on his work is an exhibition at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo. With the title “Lygia Clark: Project for a Planet”, the exhibition about the contemporary artist and sculptor presents her entire repertoire, curated by Ana Maria Maia and Pollyana Quintella and occupying all seven rooms of one of the oldest mansions in the city.
All phases of Lygia's work are found in the local corridors. From his initial research in figurative paintings, through the language of painting as a surface in space, to the turning point of this investigation, with the work “Discovery of the organic line” (1954), where Clark stopped adding a frame as an extra element to the canvas, and began to integrate it into the composition. And at its peak, where Lygia began to reflect on the relationships between “inside” and “outside” of her compositions, as well as the interaction between “body” and “space”, when she proposes “Model for interior No. 3” (1955).
It is possible to experience all of this and a little more in the artist's full exhibition that takes place at the Pina Luz Building, in Praça da Luz, until 04/08/2024. The artist's legacy lives on - and her revival is already happening.
