The Prunella Clough Archive, acquired by the Tate after the artist's death, is a fascinating collection of ideas, perceptions, images and experiments that illuminate Clough's unique creative process.

In the early part of her career, Clough wrote detailed descriptions of things that caught her eye or imagination, as well as instructions for paintings she had visualised. Many of these 'word sketches' correlate closely to subsequent works. Later, her descriptions are shorter and usually accompanied by a thumbnail sketch. These were the only sketches she made before she started a work.

Clough was increasingly attracted to the abstract qualities of industrial buildings and everyday objects. She explored these from unexpected angles, in multiples or in close-up. The archive contains several series of photographs that illustrate this tendency, such as series on mixed industrial sites and stacks of objects.

The material is divided into two sections, 'Inspirations' and 'Working Methods'. Click on the images to the left and right to explore these sections.

To close down the interactive and return to the Clough exhibition site, click the orange 'Prunella Clough' banner at the top of the page.