Big Ideas What Artists See? Critic Quentin Sprague helps you get to the messy human heart of art
Oct 29, 2025
Join award-winning arts writer Quentin Sprague, known for his insightful essays and the 2021 Prime Minister's Literary Award, as he dives into the heart of contemporary Australian art. He discusses his childhood influences and the transformative power of Philip Guston’s work. Sprague argues for a more intuitive approach to art criticism, prioritizing personal stories over judgment. Examining artists like Sally Gabori and Stuart Ringholt, he highlights the interplay between obsession, recovery, and the complex narratives shaping today's art.
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Childhood Guston That Shaped A Critic
- Quentin Sprague pins a Guston postcard above his bed as a child and returns to those paintings as an adult.
- The early encounter with Philip Guston's late works shaped his lifelong attention to how artists look.
Looking As A Central Artistic Act
- Quentin reframes Guston's pit painting from pure despair to an image of an artist looking and working under pressure.
- The act of looking itself becomes a recurring symbol across his essays.
Writer Over Critic To Embrace Unknowing
- Sprague prefers the label 'writer' because writers are allowed not to know while critics are expected to know.
- This stance lets him explore artists' unknowing and the human stories behind work.
