Rosemarie Beck

It’s an old story, but it’s a good one. A painter pursues
an elegant brand of abstraction quavering with muted
sonorities of light and color, elicited from a
searching, anxious hand. The canvases garner attention;
the artist a considerable reputation, particularly
among fellow painters. A subsequent and surprising
turn to figuration alienates peers and admirers;
the artist, or so it is said, has turned away from
history’s inexorable march. Eventually, however,
the late paintings are seen as a triumphant
culmination of determination and individuality.
History vindicates the transition.

Philip Guston’s heroic transformation from sensitive
adjunct of the New York School to figurative painter
of garish intensity is deservedly the most well-known instance.
It’s also the story of his friend, Rosemarie Beck (1923-2003).

from here too