Robert Motherwell is recognised as an Abstract Expressionist - a term applied to a group of artists who came to prominence in the 1940s and '50s, principally in the USA. As the name implies, their work was non-figurative and colour, line and texture were important as ends in themselves rather than being deployed for any traditional style of still life, narrative, landscape etc. Within this group, Motherwell was also important as a critic and in his writings helped to explain the movement and promote some of the more retiring figures within it, such as Mark Rothko.

Unlike most of his peers in the movement, Motherwell became very interested in printmaking, which he took up in the early 1960s. This piece combines the unique character of collage with the multiple one of editioned prints; the torn edge of the paper is highly suggestive of the expressionist character of his paintings. [Another impression of this print is Circ.126-1969.]