Philip Guston
(Montreal, Québec, 1913 - 1980, Woodstock, New York)
Opened Box
1977
Oil on canvas
67 1/4 x 110 1/4 in. (170.9 x 280.2 cm)
Collection of the Akron Art Museum
Purchased, by exchange, with funds raised by the Masked Ball 1955-1963
1980.49
More Information
Each object depicted here held deep personal meaning for Philip Guston. The whip on the right recalls the flagellation of Christ, a common Renaissance subject. Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation of Christ was one of the artist’s favorite paintings. The cigarette butts echo one of Guston’s bad habits. The shoes stand in for the image of man—rough and well-worn. The painting does not relate a specific story. Instead, Guston expresses his pensive musing on the human condition.
Keywords
AmericanShoes
Cigarette butts
Painting
Allegory