Philip Guston

Painter at Night

1979
Oil on canvas
174 x 204.5 cm / 68 1/2 x 80 1/2 in

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Created near the end of Philip Guston’s life, ‘Painter at Night’ (1979) is emblematic of the artist’s celebrated late work. In 1967, Guston left the New York art world behind and made Woodstock his home. For the rest of his life, he lived and worked in seclusion, shifting his focus to a rawer form of self-portraiture, of which ‘Painter at Night’ is exemplary. Despite his declining health, Guston worked on a grand scale, avidly painting and smoking unfiltered cigarettes through the night.

Here, he pictures himself holding a paintbrush before a canvas; speckles of paint on his collar evoke the intensity with which he approaches the creative process. His palette is beside him, with cadmium red medium and titanium white closest at hand. Behind his easel, his familiar lightbulb and pull chain illuminate the scene.

About the artist

Philip Guston (1913 – 1980) is one of the great luminaries of twentieth-century art. His commitment to producing work from genuine emotion and lived experience ensures its enduring impact. Guston’s legendary career spanned a half century, from 1930 to 1980. His paintings—particularly the liberated and instinctual forms of his late work—continue to exert a powerful influence on younger generations of contemporary painters. For an in-depth overview of his career, click here.

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