Mondrian
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
Mondrian
Looking again at Mondrian I felt certain that, with Analytical Cubism as his starting point, he became aware of the limits of the surface of the painting. By 1917, in the work “More and Less” he had already invaded the edges of the painting at certain points. In 1918 he began to create forms with the horizontal and vertical as the two basic lines composing the surface which he used. After the lapse of 20 years, he returned to this basic problem which is the feeing of the surface of the picture from being a demonstrative space. If we take these works and cut them where their actual dividing lines are, we get completely vacant surfaces, wholly clean and pure, they are complete areas of unworked space. To my mind, looking at his vertical and horizontals, he divided up the picture simply into its own lines of construction. My own problem is tied up with this, that is to say when I am virtually turning the surface sideway, working with its peripheral “edge of space”, as I called it. The next period of Mondrian’s from 1942 onwards is concerned with another problem opening up new possibilities in the realm of color atomization. The great importance of Mondrian, to me, was that he “cleaned” the canvas of representative space”, and from this came the contemporary questioning of this space. It is left for us to seek living forms which get away completely from representative space, which can only be used to the extent that it expressed by the time-experience of the work.
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
The spectator’s participation in the work of art has always – now I can see – been something at the back of my work. From the “Modulated Space” series onwards, I created reliefs into which actual space entered. The whole internal construction was divided up by internal openings. These reliefs were squares and were to hung diagonally on the wall; the square took the role of the “ideal form”. Even these days, when I feel played out, I always go back to the square as a starting point. The next step was my making of a relief which was totally closed. Though its structure was vacant, its interior space could be perceived through four openings into the vacancy. I called this “Egg”. FIG 18 Turn over the page and pick up the black square: use it to cover the “Egg” with. Now you can see this interior space which I have been talking about so much.
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
Now a period of complete uncertainty began for me: I could not find a way of developing my work. I owe to my great friend Jean Boghici the idea of making the first “Cocoon” – and help in constructing it. This “Cocoon” preceded the ‘Creature’ series. FIG 19 Lift the unattached corners of the “Cocoon” and put them on the dotted line within the surface area.
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
FIG 20 Lift up A and place it on top of the other A: lift the structure and put the B on the other letter B marked under the structure. Now lift the triangle C, folding it until it meets letter C.
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
The “CREATURE” was born when I tried to make a counter-relief (FIG 20) and not a “Cocoon”, although this was in fact what I had been working on just before. By folding one of the divisions of this counter-relief and then doing the same with the other corresponding division, I found myself with two pieces free in space. Since I had some sellotape in my hand, I instinctively joined the two parts. It never entered my head that I should create a piece of sculpture, although in 1956 I had written in my notebook: “I think that one important question, as far as sculpture goes, would be the elimination of the base: like the frame, the base acts as the suspending agent linking the space of the work with surrounding space. Sculpture must come into the world unattached, free within its own space. From this chance happening came the “Creature” which I called “Point”.
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
FIG 22 Do a “Creature” yourself. Detach FIG 22 along the dotted line. Cut the middle dotted lines. Fold the pieces as indicated by the arrows and glue the two parts as indicated, AB-AB, with sellotape. After this, the idea came to me of making the “Creature” leave the flat surface and return to it, working into this the experiment (FIG 11) described on page.
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»
Mondrian
I have drawn up a plan to have an idea of the problem of vision and the “edge of space”– FIG 23. When the surface-picture is placed flat on the wall (FIG 23-A), we see one space, different from FIG 23-B, where the surface-picture is placed on the wall diagonally and end-on. Here, there are two aspects of two spaces which cross one another in depth, not parallel in space, but which nevertheless meet at certain spot. This perception of space is far more complicated than the previously described one. In FIG 23-C, the design shows the “Creature” and the spectator’s point of view simultaneously. It is only one vision: they are absorbed in each other.
COPYRIGHT ASSOCIAÇÃO CULTURAL «O MUNDO DE LYGIA CLARK»