Brilliant post, Joe. I, too, had a very visceral, emotional response to a major Guston retrospective I saw at the St. Louis Museum of Art in 1989. At the time, I was a junior in art college and didn't know his work, but I was deeply affected by them. Several years later, as an art teacher living and working in London, I took my students to a major Guston exhibition. It was an honor to have the roles reversed, and I was now the teacher sharing his work with my art students.
Unfortunately, today (just as they were when he first exhibited them), some of his more social commentary pieces, are very misunderstood. However, some galleries and museums have done an excellent job by not ignoring or canceling these paintings and trying to educate the viewers on the context and "why" behind them.
Sticking with art, I had a similar response to the abstract art of Hans Hoffmann when I first saw his work. I loved how he explored surface, markmaking, and color in his abstractions. And while we are at it, I see a lot of similarities between Guston and Hoffmann's abstractions and the Joshua Liquid Light Shows of the 1960s!
Thanks so much, Michael, Very cool that you got the opportunity to bring your class to the exhibition. Going to college at the U of MD so near DC was fantastic. I got to write about Pierre Bonnard's Children Leaving School, one of my faves, for a class, and the piece was wheeled out to me at the National Gallery in a private screening room. Pretty damn cool for this college kid!
Brilliant post, Joe. I, too, had a very visceral, emotional response to a major Guston retrospective I saw at the St. Louis Museum of Art in 1989. At the time, I was a junior in art college and didn't know his work, but I was deeply affected by them. Several years later, as an art teacher living and working in London, I took my students to a major Guston exhibition. It was an honor to have the roles reversed, and I was now the teacher sharing his work with my art students.
Unfortunately, today (just as they were when he first exhibited them), some of his more social commentary pieces, are very misunderstood. However, some galleries and museums have done an excellent job by not ignoring or canceling these paintings and trying to educate the viewers on the context and "why" behind them.
Sticking with art, I had a similar response to the abstract art of Hans Hoffmann when I first saw his work. I loved how he explored surface, markmaking, and color in his abstractions. And while we are at it, I see a lot of similarities between Guston and Hoffmann's abstractions and the Joshua Liquid Light Shows of the 1960s!
Thanks so much, Michael, Very cool that you got the opportunity to bring your class to the exhibition. Going to college at the U of MD so near DC was fantastic. I got to write about Pierre Bonnard's Children Leaving School, one of my faves, for a class, and the piece was wheeled out to me at the National Gallery in a private screening room. Pretty damn cool for this college kid!
Best,
J
Love the connections you're making here. Great quote from Tom Petty and story about Coltrane and Shorter.
Thanks, Ellen
Thanks for putting this stuff into words. You may not be a musician, but you clearly get it.
Thanks so much, Dennis. I'm grateful.
Beautiful post, Joe. Thank you, and a good Thanksgiving to you!🍂🍁
Thanks so much, Mari! Back at ya!