Guston, << GUHS tuhn, >> Philip (1913-1980), an American painter, gained recognition in the 1940’s largely for his melancholy city scenes. About 1947, Guston abandoned the use of explicit human figures. Instead, he painted shimmering abstractions produced by floating strokes of bright colors. Guston applied the strokes freely, in the manner associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement. See Abstract Expressionism .
Guston’s work in the 1950’s develops mysterious relationships among ambiguous forms that seem to move in unconfined spaces. His later works are dominated by thickly painted strokes of blacks, grays, and silver-whites that suggest a somber, powerful feeling. In his final years, Guston developed a unique style, painting tragic satires and social criticism in a frank, sometimes cartoonlike manner. Guston was born on June 27, 1913, in Montreal, Canada, and grew up in Los Angeles. He died on June 7, 1980.
