Scroll

From the museum

During the last, most productive decade of Philip Guston’s career, his imagery included ordinary objects such as bottles, books, light bulbs, and shoes—emblematic of art historical, social, and personal experiences. Here a scroll, often associated with the Torah, the book of Jewish law, alludes to Guston’s religious heritage. Isolated against a dark, somber background of turbulent brushstrokes, the scroll has been unrolled to reveal thick hatchings that suggest a text. The artist applied oil paint thinly on the upper portion of the work, resulting in a matte appearance, while the glossy area in the middle suggests a thick, wet-on-wet painting technique.

The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0