Crescent, 1976
Oil on canvas
198.1 x 294.6 x 3 cm / 78 x 116 x 1 1/8 inches
About the art
Crescent is one of Guston’s major late paintings from 1976. It depicts Musa, the artist’s wife, as a heavenly body dominating and inspiring the artist’s inner landscape, flanked by the moon and sun at the horizon, above a rising red tide, and surrounded by a luminous blue sky that seems lit from within. Her saint-like green halo and upturned eyes are reminiscent of Renaissance painting, which Guston loved.
About the artist
Born in Montreal, Canada, Philip Guston (1913 – 1980) moved with his family to California in 1919. Except for briefly attending the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles in 1930, he was completely self-taught and went on to become one of the great luminaries of 20th century art. From his early ties to social realism, the muralist movement, and abstract expressionism to the highly personal and allegorical expressions of his late figurative work, Guston’s commitment to producing art from genuine emotion and lived experience ensures its enduring impact. With a legendary career spanning a half century, Guston’s inimitable oeuvre continues to exert a powerful influence on younger generations of painters.