Ascent 1952

Curator: Philip Guston’s ink drawing, "Ascent," completed in 1952, grabs the eye with its raw energy. Editor: I'll say. The black ink on that earthy background – it feels primal, urgent, almost like charcoal dragged across a cave wall. I want to reach out and feel the texture. Curator: Absolutely! It's fascinating how such minimal means create such a visceral experience. Think about Guston's choice of materials; humble ink on paper, yet it holds so much potential. It echoes the austerity and immediacy of post-war expression. Editor: And let's not forget the role of labor, too. The act of applying ink with speed is apparent. What does that action tell us about value in mid-century America, or how the 'artist' interacts with mass produced drawing media? It's about more than aesthetic appeal. It's about production. Curator: Indeed. You know, it's like he's grappling with something internal. He builds these rough, seemingly chaotic strokes. They coalesce to form… well, I'm not sure what they form. That's the exciting bit! Editor: It teases the viewer! Those fragmented lines, some heavy, others light as a whisper… it invites speculation. I am thinking this piece, like so many others, probably wasn't just lying on that shelf at the local art supply store, ya know? Its journey impacts how we look at it here in the gallery today! Curator: I wonder if Guston considered, at that time, how those raw materials might be understood later. I suspect he didn’t care at all! His intensity was inward. I imagine the struggle itself, the act of creation, was his destination. A fleeting ascent. Editor: A compelling view. Materially speaking though, ink is ink. But ink isn’t “just” ink! The composition shows it's all how one extracts or conveys certain material’s specific, inherent property to produce the desired meaning. Even now. Curator: It is striking how a drawing like "Ascent" continues to provoke different avenues of thinking. For me, it represents the artistic journey—uncertain, exhilarating, but always pushing upwards. Editor: And for me it makes me want to see how his creative trajectory involved his choice of making implement – did he lean toward using certain pens or inks because of the effect he felt it conveyed, versus others? That decision is essential to Guston's mark making. It’s a physical trace of that 1952 moment.