I Paint What I Want to See: Philip Guston (Penguin Modern Classics)

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Philip Guston, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, spoke about art with unparalleled candour and commitment. Usually I don’t mind reading things like this even if I’m not familiar with the artist but I genuinely felt like I was retaining zero information from this. The editorial model adopted—allow someone else to do all the work, then conveniently “forget” the fact—no doubt helps to keep overheads low, but should we really be happy that the accountants have won again?

Guston, one of the most influential and provocative American artists of the 20th century, had turned his back on the hip New York scene. I am not crazy about Philip Guston's work (Philip Guston says that of Ronald Kitaj's work on page 211, Kitaj, whose work I am crazy about), I am not crazy about Guston's work, I mean, who am I to say this, but it is just that I find it crude (to use the words of Harold Rosenberg in this very book), and I generally struggle to connect with his paintings.So here we are, I am not the biggest fan of his work but there is something about artists, people who produce art, breath art, live art, and of course always think about art, that makes their discussions, thoughts and writings about art, absolutely fascinating. No criptic arty language but relatable and approachable writing about making a painting, this proves to me that's mostly art critics that makes art a difficult subject, for artist it all more simple. Ofcourse, with Guston you're better off getting the Collected Writings, but I love these little white penguin classics. Ideas about art don’t matter’, runs a 1978 note found in his studio after his death, itself an idea that launched a thousand painting careers.

Remember that when Guston had his first 'stumble-bum' exhibition there was lots of exciting figurative painting and image-making happening. Faith, Hope, and Impossibility and On Morton Feldman are two essays I think every artist should read.To read this book front-to-back is to witness his paintings gradually outpace Guston’s ability to describe them.