August Form
- Artist: Philip Guston
- Date: 1964
- Medium: oil paint on paper
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is “August Form” by Philip Guston. Painted in 1964 with oil on paper, it’s a striking example of his late 1960s transition from pure abstraction to a more figurative language. The canvas starts with a warm underlayer of reds and pinks, faintly visible through the upper strata. Over this, Guston alternates strokes of black and white, creating a mottled grey surface that feels almost tactile, like a field of broken glass. As the layers build, subtle forms begin to surface; the most intriguing is a partial head, barely outlined, emerging from the abstraction. This moment captures Guston’s growing interest in recognizable shapes, signaling his departure from strict abstraction toward a more representational style. The contrast between the aggressive black‑white grid and the softer, hidden reds underneath gives the piece a dynamic tension—both chaotic and deliberate. It’s a testament to Guston’s restless experimentation, where each brushstroke feels like a question about form and meaning. The work invites viewers to look beyond the surface, to trace the hidden figure, and to sense the artist’s evolving dialogue between abstraction and the human silhouette.
See it in person
August Form hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
