Jack Whitten: Erasures

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1 Jack Whitten: Erasures 13

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3 Jack Whitten: Erasures Dec. 18, March 31, 2013 Jack Whitten, Untitled Study #2, pastel and powdered pigment on paper, Courtesy of the artist and Alexander Gray Associates, New York. After studying Jack Whitten s work, students will explore his technique of processing paint, using combs or other alternative painting tools. National Standards NA-VA Understanding and applying media, techniques and processes. NA-VA Using knowledge of structures and functions. NA-VA Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others. Georgia Standards VA7MC.1 Identifies and works to solve problems through creative thinking, planning, and/or experimenting with art methods and materials. VA7MC.4 Participates in dialogue about his or her artwork and the artwork of others. 15

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5 Artist s Background: New York-based artist Jack Whitten s (b. 1939) earliest experiments with painting date back to the 1960s, a period during which he created dynamic works inspired by abstract expressionism. Noted for their raucous colors and density of gesture combined with topical content, these artworks manifest emotionally complex meditations on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. Experimentation turned to abstraction for Whitten in the 1970s; a new method of painting developed, one that resonates more closely with photography. Gesture is removed from the making of the work; the paint and canvas are processed, produced from large troughs of paint, which are dragged across the canvas with tools including squeegees, rakes and Afro combs. This process yields palpable surface texture, line and void. Paint became a metaphor for skin during the 1980s when Whitten experimented with casting acrylic paints and compounds to create new surfaces and textures. In contrast to the narrative-based and didactic work made by many black artists during this period, Whitten s works reintroduce gesture with aspects of sculpture and collage. In the 1990s, Whitten s experiments with paint as a medium progressed further toward sculpture, as he transformed paint compounds into tiles and applied them to the canvas as mosaics. These works allude to ancient architecture and murals, serving as both an homage to and memorial of celebrated public figures and intimate friends. Whitten s work has been exhibited in the 1969 and 1972 Whitney Annuals (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York); the landmark 1971 exhibition Contemporary Black Artists in America at the Whitney Museum; Energy/ Experimentation: Black Artists and Abstraction at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, 2006; High Times Hard Times: New York Painting , organized by Independent Curators International, 2006; and Art 41 Basel, Whitten s 1960s paintings and memorial works have been celebrated in solo exhibitions at MoMA PS1, New York, New York, 2007; and the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Georgia, Biography from Alexander Gray Associates 17

6 Terminology/Definitions: ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM Non-representational art, or art that is not intended to depict a reality of the visible world. Abstract expressionism became dominant in Western art in the 1950s as a revolutionary break from traditional painting, prioritizing the physicality of paint and freedom of expression. GESTURE Motion of the limbs or body to express thought. In painting, gesture indicates the quality of the artist s movement to apply paint to the canvas. Mechanical processes, such as printmaking, remove gesture from the work. NEGATIVE SPACE The space between and around objects. Successful compositions balance positive and negative space. GHOSTING In printing, images that appear multiple times on a page with diminishing density. SCALE The proportion or ratio that defines size relationships. 18

7 Discussion Questions Looking at Jack Whitten s work, can you see indications of a brushstroke? What visual indicators demonstrate how Whitten dragged the paint across the canvas with a rake or other tool? How would you describe the texture he creates? How is a rake similar to a paintbrush? How is it different? In 1974, Jack Whitten took an artist s residency at Xerox, where he explored printing techniques of applying and setting toner. Toner is the powder used in printers to form text and images on paper. The toner is melted in the printing machine to bind it to the paper. What specific visual elements do you see that hint at Whitten s exploration with toner? Classroom Activity Review Whitten s examples of work from the 1970s and recall principles of abstract expressionism, gesture and composition. Using combs or similar alternative tools, have students apply paint to paper or canvas, experimenting with Whitten s process. Ask students to form small groups and discuss their experiences using the questions below. How did the comb change the appearance of the paint, as compared with a paintbrush? Were you able to create different levels of intensity or ghosting? Did you introduce multiple colors? How did this technique affect the positive and negative space of your composition? What types of lines and textures did you achieve? How did the comb change your physical experience with the paint? 19