In this era of re-examining our values in the face of increased social tensions and existential threat, Philip Guston’s sour yet exuberant late paintings promise to tell us who we are and what beliefs we must cling to in order to go on. Guston, a giant of 20th Century painting, scandalized the New York art world in 1970 by turning his back on the prevailing trend of pure abstraction. He embarked instead on an inspired journey creating politically-infused, tragic-pop canvases that exploited a wacky cartoon-style imagery. Although these works failed to sell in his lifetime, they changed the dialogue of painting. He stood by his vision, supporting his family by teaching at Boston University, and produced the bulk of his oeuvre in this new style until his death in 1980. The retrospective “Philip Guston Now” displays 100 works at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts through September 11. … [Read more...] about PHILIP GUSTON’S TRUE COLORS AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
