Painting by nightmares
From Andrew Lambirth Sir: I am grateful for your correspondent's remarks about the imagery of Philip Guston (Letters, 7 February), for it allows me to stress a point which I had been making more subtly. It is the quality of Guston's paintwork that draws praise from fellow artists, not the specificity of his imagery. The viewer must be able to respond to the paint directly, visually and sensually, irrespective of what the subject of the painting might be. Yes, the picture called 'San Clemente' is in one sense a portrait of Richard Nixon, but it is also a self-portrait to the extent to which Guston identifies with this harrowing figure. The reason Guston's late imagery is nigh unbearable is precisely because of the depth to which the artist gave himself to his subjects — the forbidding depth of identification which makes his work so unforgettable. The nightmares were his, and they were fashioned out of paint. The identity of President Nixon or Mrs Guston is in this sense immaterial. Look to the brushstrokes, not the narrative!
Andrew Lambirth
London SEI
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