Cornered 1971

Curator: Philip Guston's painting, "Cornered," held in the Tate collection, presents a rather immediate experience. The canvas gives us simplified forms and potent color. Editor: It’s so fleshy and constrained. The pink, brick-like forms, the feeling of compression… it almost evokes a psychological claustrophobia, a feeling of being trapped. Curator: Guston abandoned abstraction in the late 60s for this figurative, cartoonish style, directly engaging with the political turmoil of the Vietnam War era and his own anxieties. Some saw the hooded figures as a reference to the KKK, a bold statement on American society. Editor: Indeed, the symbolism is hard to ignore, yet it's the compositional choices that amplify the discomfort. The dense clustering of shapes, the restricted palette... it all tightens the emotional screws. Curator: The rawness of the paint application, too, contributes to the sense of urgency, a sort of unrefined truth. Editor: Ultimately, "Cornered" offers a space to consider the potency and responsibility of imagery within historical contexts.