Philip Guston: Collected Writings, Lectures, and Conversations

Documents of Twentieth-Century Art

by Philip Guston, Dore Ashton (Introduction), Clark Coolidge (Editor)

This is the premier collection of dialogues, talks, and writings by Philip Guston (1913–1980), one of the most intellectually adventurous and poetically gifted of modern painters. Over the course of his life, Guston’s wide reading in literature and philosophy deepened his commitment to his art—from his early Abstract Expressionist paintings to his later gritty, intense figurative works. This collection, with many pieces appearing in print for the first time, lets us hear Guston’s voice—as the artist delivers a lecture on Renaissance painting, instructs students in a classroom setting, and discusses such artists and writers as Piero della Francesca, de Chirico, Picasso, Kafka, Beckett, and Gogol.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

"Philip Guston (June 27, 1913 – June 7, 1980) was a painter and printmaker in the New York School, which included many of the abstract expressionists, such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. In the late 1960s Guston helped to lead a transition from abstract expressionism to neo-expressionism in painting, abandoning the so-called "pure abstraction" of abstract expressionism in favor of more cartoonish renderings of various personal symbols and objects." - wikipedia

Reviews

[Anselm · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i read p. guston I feel fly like a g-6

[William Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the most important book on art I have ever read. A life-changing book. Read it cover to cover, straight through, and you will find that it rewards you.

[Kyle Utter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for anyone who wants to seriously consider what it means to engage in the act of making a painting

[Daniel H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant guy, great artist.

[Ric Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many wonderful bits underlined in my copy; and I´m sure I´ll be referring to this book again, and again. Guston, who is dear to me for many reasons, fought the good fight in painting.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars doesn't even make sense. This is just absolutely essential.

[Derek Fenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot of there there, here. Painters (like Guston) should talk.

[Luke]

Wrambling odds and ends related to Philip Guston. He doesn't know.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure trove of ideas on art, life and literature.

[Helen Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

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