The content of Guston’s painting “Studio,” affected how he chose to paint by reintroducing figuration to his painting. He created the cartoon-like objects and figure that were painted with images familiar to him since childhood such as the hooded figure of the Ku Klux Klan, to everyday objects such as light bulb and cigarette. Guston depicts a hooded figure that is drawing a reflection of its self which has a lot of hidden meaning behind it. He was the first painter to return to figuration in the post-War era after straying away from abstract expressionism.
The way this painting came about was at the end of the 1960’s, he started on an intense phase of drawing, something that began his breaking away in painting from the “purity” demanded of abstract art. Guston introduced figures and fragments of figures into his works such as the “studio. ” They were featured in a lot of his pink, red, black and blue canvases, smoking, drinking, and painting. Large heads and all different kind of architectural things such as walls, doors, and lamp bulbs are among Guston’s themes. I think Gustons childhood tragedies play a big part in this painting.
He wanted reflect the mess of modern America during that time period by abandoning abstraction for a return to the figurative style of his prior years and creating a painting that seemed so vulgar and raw, yet so oddly comic. Guston wanted this painting to be a message so he was courageous enough to reveal one of the most controversial paintings of the age. This painting could be interpreted many ways and looked at from different point of views. Guston’s late paintings were not well received because representational painting was considered to be a dead art form in the 1960s.
Much of the art that was considered advanced at the time was abstract, such as color-field painting. This painting was just a piece of his collection where he wanted to send a message and have each one convey an intended point. He broadcast his perception of the world and society through his experiences with these paintings. The world events, as well as imagery drawn from his personal experiences, have defined his work throughout his career. Guston debuted a new body of work at a gallery in New York City. The new paintings featured a gang of hooded figures, recognizable as members of the Ku Klux Klan.
The pictures also showed the figures making and looking at paintings, and sitting in sparsely furnished rooms smoking and talking. Critics, as well as many fellow artists, strongly disliked Guston’s new works when they were first shown. They thought that he had betrayed the cause of abstraction by reintroducing representational objects into his paintings. Some people accused Guston of hopping onto the Pop Art. Gutson didn’t mind all the scrutiny and accusations because at the end of the day he still painting what was in him. He became one of the most recognized artists in modern art which led to his style being used in
