Summer/Fall 2012 Download PDF - The Studio Museum in Harlem

Beyond43Studio VisitChecking in withStanley Whitneyby Dominic Hackley, Communications Associateon, right to the present, such as AlmaThomas and Bob Thompson. Forme, great painting is great painting.Subject matter is personal. If I thinkabout Velazquez, I think about howhe touched the canvas. With Goya, itreally is the drama, color and sensuousnessof the paint. With Cezanne,one of my first great influences, it’sjust the solid structure of the work.The thing about both Goya andVelazquez is that their idea of paintis just so great. It’s so fresh and soloose. But it has great clarity.Stanley Whitney in his studioPhoto: Dominic HackleyStudio managing editor DominicHackley sits down with painterStanley Whitney (b. 1946) in hisCooper Square studio to discusshis latest paintings, inspirationsand ambitions.Dominic Hackley: You describe yourselfas a painter. Were you always apainter or did you practice other artforms, such as drawing, sculptureor printmaking? Do you still secretlydabble in other media?Stanley Whitney: I have always beena painter. In school, I tried sculptureand printmaking, but I stuck withpainting and drawing. It was paintingthat really inspired me, thoughdrawing is a big part of my practice.To have the color in the right space,I had to find the space through drawing.This year I wanted to do someprints, so I’m currently working oncolor etchings at Harlan and WeaverPrintshop here in Manhattan. In thepast, I also made prints at Bob BlackburnStudio and some monoprints atthe Vermont Studio Center. So really,my practice includes painting, drawingand printmaking. They all informone another.DH: Diego Velazquez, Paul Cezanneand Francisco de Goya are greatinfluences for you, though formallyyour paintings couldn’t be moredifferent from theirs. Can youdiscuss this?SW: Velazquez, Cezanne and Goyaare big influences, as are many otherartists important to my practice. Thelist is long: Van Gogh, Manet, on andDH: You mentioned that you painton linen canvases that are 96 by96 inches, 72 by 72 inches, 60 by60 inches and 12 by 12 inches—allsquares. What is the significanceof the square structure?SW: The square structure is a classicalstructure. You see it all throughoutworld history. I used to paintrectangles, but I think it is tougherto make the square have a goodrhythm or timing. With the rectangle,things expand. It’s more likea landscape. But I didn’t really wantthe landscape. Instead I wantedsomething more contained, moresolid. So I came to the square. It’sharder to paint, but I think it makesthe paintings more interesting.DH: The rigidity of the square framegreatly contrasts with the loosegrid of colors that you paint. Isthis deliberate?SW: Yes, that’s deliberate. What youwant in art is drama. Any way you