Photo: Alamy
It was in the 1970s that African-American artist Jack Whitten began to use unconventional tools like Afro combs and squeegees to manipulate paint on canvas—an innovation that led to his unique “developer” method, a pioneering technique in abstract painting. This new direction also resulted in acclaim and success, and over the coming decades, he established himself as a significant figure in the contemporary art world. And yet, as with most creative minds, Whitten sometimes experienced profound periods of self-doubt and introspection, which ultimately played a crucial role in his artistic journey. One such moment occurred in December of 1985.
The Diary Entry
December 27, 1985
I am back to zero. Tonight I cut up a large circle composed of a circle grid + threw it out! I was completely bored with the pain-taking involvement of executing all those dots! I cut it up + threw it out!
The only thing I have to salvage from the past fifteen years is the fact of the hard backing; the bringing of the floor up to the wall. This is meaningful. Perhaps I have more, I’ve learned a lot and I’ve grown to hate several things in the process of learning. I want to start 1986 with a clean slate. Of course this destroys any chance of getting a gallery, no one is interested in an artist at the end of a series and beginning a completely unknown beginning.
I am black, 46 years old, angry, tired of teaching, tired of being poor. [. . .] What am I to do? I don’t expect to hit the lottery nor am I in a position to show. I must stay cool, collect my thoughts, re-organize go back to the Onyx show + take the other route. I was well aware of two possibilities; I’ve exhausted the geometrical route which lead to the grid now I must go the other way: completely free, no geometry, loose with a minimum of color. I want to stay with grey, black + white. The white has become more meaningful especially since reading of its use in Yoruba religion.
[. . .] If I can only maintain my cool, I feel that I have a chance. I must forget about showing or trying to attract a dealer. I must work!
Yes I am broke but the money will appear. May God be with me.
Further Reading
Jack Whitten kept a studio log for six decades—an art diary he liked to call his “Notes from the Woodshed.” In 2018, shortly after his death, a selection of those entries, stretching from 1962 to 2017, were published by Hauser & Wirth in a beautiful book bearing that same title. It was edited by Katy Siegel. You can, and should, purchase a copy directly from the publisher here.
Also…
Leave a Reply