Go Figure! New Perspectives on Guston

This handsome new volume reinvigorates the debate around Philip Guston (1913–1980), a painter who shifted from abstract expressionism to representational art in the 1960s. Guston spent several formative years at the American Academy in Rome, and this book, copublished by the American Academy, examines Guston’s fascination with Italian art and his continuing influence on Italian aesthetics. Most of the 12 essays are serious academic arguments about the meanings behind Guston’s artistic choices. Guston’s transition from a painter of abstract work to more cartoonish, representational work is described in detail, with special focus given to his metamorphic 1970 exhibition at the Marlborough Gallery. Guston’s own explanation of the switch is, “I got sick of all that purity! I wanted to tell stories.” One of the book’s highlights is the transcript of a 2011 conversation among Miller, artist Chuck Close (a former student of Guston’s), and art historians Robert Storr and Sue Behrends Frank, on Guston’s late work. They reflect on the historical context in which Guston converted to a representational working style, and discuss several particular paintings in detail. The book is weighted more toward the essays, and readers may wish the pages included more images of Guston’s rich work. A serious consideration of an often paradoxical painter, this collection contributes significantly to Guston’s enduring legacy. (Apr.)