Jack Whitten: An Artist’s Life | Art21 “Extended Play”

Renowned abstract painter Jack Whitten discusses the personal philosophies that drove his work over the course of nearly six decades, chronicling his development as an artist and his relentless innovation in painting. “I can build anything I want to build,” said the artist. “It’s all about the materiality of the paint.” Filmed at work on what would become his final painting, Whitten spent his life pushing abstraction into new territories. He passed away shortly after this interview.