“Two Fat Feet” by Philip Guston is a figurative artwork associated with the Neo-Expressionism art movement. Guston, a prominent figure in this movement, created this piece illustrating his stylistic departure from abstract expressionism towards a more overt representation of the human form and social commentary.
The artwork is marked by two prominent and disproportionate feet, rendered in thick, bold brushstrokes with pinkish hues against a stark red background. The feet, one positioned upright and the other lying down, are surrounded by a series of black strokes, suggesting motion or emphasis. The background is relatively featureless, painted with broad, rough strokes that create a gradient effect transitioning from a saturated red at the bottom to a lighter, more neutral tone at the top. This minimalist background serves to highlight the central forms, making the ‘fat feet’ the focal point of the composition. The exaggerated and somewhat crude representation of the feet invites reflection on the themes of human experience and existential contemplation that Guston was known to explore in his later works.
