The Mystical Element of the Picture Plane

When I am painting, I often think about Philip Guston's understanding of the picture plane. Guston, a celebrated painter, found himself deeply fascinated by its enigmatic nature. In his own words, he expressed, "We were talking yesterday at the studio about the picture plane, and to me, there's some mysterious element about the plane. I can't rationalize it, I can't talk about it, but I know there's an existence on this imaginary plane which holds almost all the fascination of painting for me... I think it's one of the most mysterious and complex things to understand. I'm convinced that it's almost a key and yet I can't talk about it; nor do I think it can be talked about. There's something very frustrating, necessary and puzzling about this metaphysical plane that painting exists on."

Guston acknowledged the presence of an intangible allure within the picture plane that defied logical explanation. He recognized its profound impact as the foundation of artistic expression. Despite the inherent difficulty in verbalizing its essence, Guston regarded the metaphysical plane of painting as frustrating, necessary, and puzzling.

He considered the picture plane a realm beyond words—a silent language that exists beneath the surface of art, evading verbal discourse yet beckoning artists to explore its depths. In embracing it, we enter a realm beyond words, a silent language beneath the surface of art, opening ourselves to boundless possibilities and tapping into the transformative power within the silent language of painting.