Abstract
“Guston and Affect” explores the intensity of feeling around art, noting the limitations of ideas of “emotion” in describing these experiences. Philip Guston’s paintings of his own studio spaces are elaborated using philosopher Brian Massumi’s notion of “affect,” which complicates overly simple understandings of the viewer’s reaction to moving artworks. Massumi’s affect theory, art historical documentation of Guston’s art practice, and the larger social context of the Civil Rights era, when he made his most astounding, politically-charged work, are the conceptual foundations of each argument. Ultimately, the artist’s studio emerges as an analogy for concentric levels of engagement, moving from the deeply private, personal, and even spiritual space of the studio to the public, social, and political space of the gallery or museum. At each stage, the affective state of the artist in the original act of making is examined in relation to the experience of viewing audience. The author offers a personal description of her own artistic practice to introduce the argument, acknowledging the inadequacies of most language to describe the artistic process and experiences arising from viewing art, but explaining the deep intellectual desire to know that underpins both her artistic and intellectual endeavors.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Affect, Art History, Philosophy, Spirituality, Psychology
