Richard Prince's "White Paintings" series, showcased during a special exhibition at the Skarstedt Gallery from November 8 to December 15, 2012, represents a notable phase in the artist's exploration of appropriation, imagery, and text. These works, produced mainly in the early 1990s, diverge significantly from Prince's earlier, more straightforward "re-photographs" and monochromatic joke paintings of the 1980s, offering a more textured, layered, and dynamic approach to his themes of American culture, authorship, and the interplay between high and low art.

In the "White Paintings," Prince integrates handwritten and printed jokes, gestural marks, silkscreened imagery, and graphic fragments, all laid over a backdrop imbued with painterly white textures. This series showcases Prince's manual involvement through spirited whorls and the presence of his hand-written text, signifying a personal touch contrasting with the detached nature of his appropriation work. These paintings reflect Prince's affinity with the gestural and expressive qualities of American painters from the 1950s, such as Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg, blending appropriation with a homage to the spontaneity and rawness of their styles​ (Skarstedt)​​ (Skarstedt)​.

Prince's technique in the "White Paintings" oscillates between the minimalistic and the complex, incorporating elements from his signature joke series within abstract expressions and nods to art historical precedents. The result is a body of work that challenges traditional perceptions of art, humor, and societal commentary, cementing Prince's position as a critical observer and commentator on the landscapes of art and culture in America​ (Skarstedt)​.

For more information on the exhibition and specific works within the "White Paintings" series, you can visit the Skarstedt Gallery's website for details and imagery of the showcased pieces​ (Skarstedt)​.