https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/philip-guston/exhibition-guide
This was a wonderful show for an artist I had never heard of. He demonstrated a remarkable range of styles throughout long career. His earliest work, a Madonna and Child was done when he was 17 and recalled, in its technical mastery at least, the teenage work of Picasso; talent/genius will out, at the earliest opportunity. At the start of his professional career he was significantly involved with other young and politically radical artists with enormous mural work. Many of these were USA Government commissions for Federal buildings. Can’t see that happening now!
After Guston's early career and style, he then went very abstract but I did not like these; there seemed to be nothing special in what they showed and said but then, towards the latter part of his career went back to a more figurative style, but with some abstract/distorting visual elements. I much admired the sequences where he focused on hoods with the inevitable but not sole allusion to the KKK. These works managed to combine both abstract elements (the ‘pure’ hood shape) and make political statements, in keeping with his commitment to radical politics throughout his life.. Apparently these caused a fuss when this show in USA as fear of people being 'triggered'/upset/disturbed by them…which ludicrously misses the point as surely such works are meant to have that sort of effect on the viewer to make them think and respond!
The final image in the show was a particularly vivid and lovely image of a very old hand descending from a cloud and drawing a line – the start of all art.