James Little USA, b. 1952

This thickly layered, textural painting is part of James Little’s series titled White Paintings. The name of the series is a bit tongue in cheek, as these paintings truly depict a literal rainbow of colors, over the top of which Little overlays a glossy, thick, gloopy layer of white oil paint. The underlying colors remain visible through a grid of geometric holes cut from the white top layer. Brush marks are evident throughout the work, as are tiny imperfections in the circles. These echoes of the human touch are essential to the humanity that underlies Little’s aesthetic position. Little has spoken out about the abstract nature of his position, insisting there is no social or political content in the work. However, he frequently gives clues to his personal thoughts and philosophies by employing suggestive titles for his individual works. The title of this work, Joyful Austerity, hints at many possible meanings. It could allude to the juxtaposition of the austere, monochromatic top layer with the joyful sea of underlying colors painted with gestural brush strokes. It could also be suggestive of Little’s thoughts about his career itself, which has been marked by a steady reliance on abstraction, a decades long dedication to the pared down formalism of geometry and color, and a commitment to patience in terms of recognition, which was recently rewarded by his inclusion in the 2022 Whitney Biennial. It is also hard not to note that in the case of the title of this series a deeper, underlying social meaning comes through, as we are gazing at a vibrant world of color through a thickly veiled mesh of whiteness.