Review 1948 - 1949

Editor: Philip Guston's "Review," painted between 1948 and 1949 using oil paint, is captivating. The layering of reds and blacks creates this dense, almost claustrophobic space. What stands out to you in terms of Guston's artistic decisions here? Curator: Look closely at the materiality. Guston's process here, building up layer upon layer of oil paint, becomes the primary subject. Consider the social context: post-war America, anxieties and uncertainty bubbling beneath the surface. Notice how he subverts traditional landscape painting – turning it into an almost industrial, oppressive zone. Do you see any evidence of "labor" in the visible brushstrokes and thick impasto? Editor: Yes, the texture is almost brutal. You can really see the artist's hand at work, the physical act of applying the paint. The way he's treating oil paint, not to create an illusion, but as this almost crude material. It's interesting to view it in the light of labor. Curator: Precisely! This shifts our understanding. He isn't just representing something; he's *doing* something *with* the material. He is also rejecting a traditional concept of Art: that it must appear effortless, skilled, pristine. His choices also make me wonder, how does the very *stuff* of painting -- its pigments, oils, and supports-- carry its own history and associations? How might that affect how we consume and value this kind of "abstract landscape?" Editor: So, it’s less about the final image, more about the whole journey the material and the artist went through to get here? Curator: Exactly. Understanding the production, materiality and process forces us to reconsider our expectations of “art,” its value, and purpose. Editor: That’s given me a lot to think about. Thanks for the insight! Curator: And to me, seeing it through your eyes shows how relevant these questions remain!