Visual artist Philip Guston (1913-1980)passed through many styles in his career, but all were united by his desire to create work of social relevance. When Guston was just eighteen, he painted a mural to call attention to the plight of several black youths who had been falsely accused and convicted. The mural was defaced by local police officers, which only strengthened Guston's resolve. The works of abstract expressionism for which he would be best know, while seemingly detached from social engagement, were in fact a refusal of the defunct artistic and social norms that had fueled to world wars,and a radical expression in favor of freedom and democracy.But by working too long in this style, Guston came to feel "schizophrenic," and "wanted to be whole." When he visited Yaddo in 1969, he busied himself creating works in a new
cartoonish figurative style that drew on the earliest art training he
had received, and opened the door to the greatest controversy of his
career.