Basil Beattie, A Moment to Treasure - 1993

There is a moment in a film on Philip Guston that I've always closely identified with. Morton Feldman, the composer who had been one of his closest friends until they fell out, because Feldman could not accept the radical changes in Guston's work, recalls the occasion. He thought he was a traitor to abstract art.

In the film, they both went to Feldman's office and Guston noticed a small painting he had given Feldman, hanging on the wall. Guston said, "I see you still have the painting" Feldman said, "yes, I like it". After a moments pause Guston said, "The shape on the left is listening to the problems of the shape on the right".