Boot

The blood-stained boot tells of the traces of violence. Philip Guston paints it in a time of war, violence, and social upheaval. In 1968, Guston strikes a new path in painting and abandons abstraction. Paul also begins his path anew. His steps no longer lead toward persecution, but toward proclamation.

Given the context of the Apostle Paul’s journeys, one might be tempted to see a sturdy hiking boot in Guston’s painting. Only upon closer inspection does one discover that the footwear is actually a combat boot.

It is important to distinguish between a possible interpretation linked to Paul and Guston’s own intentions: Guston himself did not associate the painting with Paul or the Christian mission. Instead, his imagery deals with violence, fanaticism, and the terrifying possibility that evil lurks within the everyday and the seemingly harmless. Guston was deeply affected by the activities of the Ku Klux Klan in California, the Vietnam War, and the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Traces of blood on the boots transform the ordinary footwear into a symbol of injury and violence.

In his youth, Paul persecuted the early followers of Christ with violence and fanatical zeal. Following his encounter with Christ near Damascus, he underwent a transformation and became a peaceful proclaimer of the Gospel.

However, the Christian mission did not always proceed peacefully; at times, it was bound up with coercion, violence, and political power. In this chapter, therefore, Philip Guston’s painting also reminds us of the destructive side of fanatical missionary work.

In-depth video on Philip Guston [external link]