Bryan J. Wolf on Philip Guston and “Bad Painting”

Video Description

In the years between 1967 and 1970, Philip Guston scandalized the New York art world by renouncing abstraction and turning instead to figurative modes of painting characterized by cartoonish images that mixed Ku Klux Klan hoods, idioms of popular culture, and a private vocabulary of cigars, light bulbs, legs, shoes, and other assorted—and often hairy—body parts. Buried within these often outlandish works are three recurring concerns: questions of pilgrimage, revelation, and epiphany that link Guston to Hudson River School painting of the nineteenth century; a covert interest in writing as a cultural logic that informs his painting practices; and an obsessive focus on line that distinguishes his art from the drips and gestural forms of Jackson Pollock. Ultimately, each of these concerns points to what can be seen as the real focus of Guston’s figurative work: the history and memory of the Holocaust. Recorded on October 19, 2011. Join our mailing list! Email: [email protected] Established in 2003, the Wyeth Foundation for American Art lectures, conferences, and symposia are biennial programs hosted by the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, and supported by the Wyeth Foundation for American Art. Participants are chosen on the basis of their outstanding contributions to the study of and scholarship on American art. Interested in learning more about the program? Visit: https://www.nga.gov/research/casva/meetings/wyeth-foundation-for-american-art-programs.html Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels?  National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS National Gallery of Art Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks      ABOUT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART    The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.    More National Gallery of Art Content: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationalgalleryofart Twitter: https://twitter.com/ngadc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ngadc/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ngadc/_created/ E-News: https://nga.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=e894a1837aca4526f7e8a11b3&id=2085ff9475 #Art #Museum #NationalGalleryOfArt #Wyeth #AmericanArt #WyethFoundationForAmericanArt #TheCenter