Robert Motherwell (1915 - 1991) was an American Abstract Expressionist painter. His Open Series uses the artistic trope of the window in order to examine ideas of colour and geometry as well a metaphor for the relationship between our inner world of emotions and the outer world of senses. This work is part of Robert Motherwell's "Open" Series which focused on the theme of the window, began in 1967. Open No. 79 In Gray with Charcoal was a gift to his wife, and is inscribed on the verso: “For Renate Ponsold Easter Day 1972”.