After a period in which he focused on emotionally expressive painting, Whitten made a conscious decision to “start experimenting with the possibilities of paint without imposing the added burden of psychological implications.” The result is a series of paintings he calls Energy Fields. His process includes the manipulation of paint with a variety of tools, from Afro combs to squeegees to rakes and brooms. He has described his goal as “defining a new spatial perception.”
Gallery label from Multiplex: Directions in Art, 1970 to Now, November 21, 2007-July 28, 2008.