In the studio with Stanley Whitney

last updated 25 July 2022

‘I was born with the colour,’ Whitney once said of his signature style, that fizzes with energy and musicality. Despite the sense of freedom and joy in his hand-sketched geometry and loosely drawn grids, they are often motivated by politics and influenced by hardship.

Deep Water was painted after witnessing migrants arriving in Greece from the Middle East, while titles such as Wandering and Wondering, Nightlife and Dreamtime point to moments of quiet reflection and rest amid Whitney's chaotic, yet colourful, life.

'Radical Times' is on view until 2 July 2016

Harriet Lloyd-Smith was the Arts Editor of Wallpaper*, responsible for the art pages across digital and print, including profiles, exhibition reviews, and contemporary art collaborations. She started at Wallpaper* in 2017 and has written for leading contemporary art publications, auction houses and arts charities, and lectured on review writing and art journalism. When she’s not writing about art, she’s making her own.