Painting No. 4

Artist Philip Guston (Canadian, active United States, 1913 – 1980)

Date1952

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 83.8 x 68.6 cm (33 x 27 in.)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineAnonymous Gift

Terms

Object number1955.1

Label TextIn the 1950s, Philip Guston earned critical acclaim for abstract canvases that embodied a precarious balance between gesture and geometry. He respected the authenticity and directness of abstraction as well as its thematic neutrality. Contained within its small framework and introverted in mood, Painting No. 4 is a nuanced record of its evolution and Guston’s combination of assured gestures, tentative touches, and spontaneous choices. His consolidation of short, shimmering brushstrokes into interlocking color planes leaves us with the impression of observing a conception, something that may be emerging from the accumulated painted matter but has not yet taken on form. Describing his process around this time, Guston said his “desire for direct expression finally became so strong that even the interval necessary to reach back to the palette beside me became too long, so one day I put up a large canvas and placed the palette in front of me. Then I forced myself to paint the entire work without stepping back to look at it.”ProvenanceAnonymous, through the Egan Gallery, New York, NY

On View

On view