Philip Guston (1913–1980) was a Canadian-American painter whose career was marked by continual reinvention, spanning from social realism to abstraction and ultimately to a distinctive form of figurative expressionism. Born in Montreal to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Guston moved to Los Angeles in 1919, where he developed an early interest in art, influenced by comics and Renaissance painting. In the 1930s, he created murals for the Works Progress Administration, often addressing themes of social injustice and racism. By the 1950s, Guston became associated with Abstract Expressionism, producing luminous, meditative canvases characterized by soft, gestural brushwork. However, in the late 1960s, disillusioned by the political climate and the limitations of abstraction, he returned to figuration, unveiling a controversial series of paintings featuring cartoonish figures, hooded Klansmen, and everyday objects rendered in a raw, expressive style. These works, initially met with critical hostility, are now recognized for their profound engagement with personal and societal themes. Guston's legacy endures as a testament to the power of artistic evolution and the courage to confront uncomfortable truths through art.