Whiteness in art has come to stand for many things over time, but it is always more than just a color or absence of color. It can represent purity, classical influence, the abstract, etc. It represented an aesthetic philosophy as well. It was associated with Ancient Greek art, then for a while eroticism (bordering on pornographic), and made a philosophical comeback in the 1920s and 30s.
"Art should clear the clutter from our lives so that we can see what's really important; it should change our relationship to the spaces we inhibit, so that we live in a more harmonious, purposeful way." I really enjoyed reading this quote--and like Ben Nicholson emphasize the organization of forms as a totality with the use of white. In a piece I am working on it is primarily white, with very faint pale blue and yellow to highlight. In this piece it represents beginning and purity. I often associate white with being pure.
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