To B.W.T.

Philip Guston

1952

Oil on canvas

Seattle Art Museum

An abstract oil painting features a dense, textured field of muted earth tones with scattered patches of vibrant red and hints of green. The composition is dominated by a central cluster of brushstrokes that create a sense of depth and movement. An abstract oil painting features a dense, textured field of muted earth tones with scattered patches of vibrant red and hints of green. The composition is dominated by a central cluster of brushstrokes that create a sense of depth and movement. Born Philip Goldstein to Russian Jewish emigres, Guston moved with his family from Canada to California in 1919, where he attended the Los Angeles Manual Arts High School and became a friend of future Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock. Following a successful early career as a sought-after mural painter, he relocated to New York City in 1935 to join the WPA. Guston became part of the cit