GladiatorsPhilip Guston · 1940
Social Realism
1940
Guston painted Gladiators in a social-realist style favored by many left-leaning artists in the 1930s, a style that reflected in part the political and aesthetic influence of the Mexican muralist movement led by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros. At the time he painted Gladiators, Guston was painting murals in New York as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. Hooded Klansmen first appeared in his work of the 1930s, in response to a Ku Klux Klan attack on one of his Los Angeles murals. Of these figures, Guston said, “They are self-portraits. I perceive myself as being behind the hood. … I almost tried to imagine that I was living with the Klan. What would it be like to be evil?”
Philip Guston (1913 – 1980)
Philip Guston (1913-1980) was a pivotal Canadian-American artist known for his evolution from Abstract Expressionism to raw, figurative art exploring racism, identity & political satire. A key figure in the New York School.
About this artwork
- Title: Gladiators
- Artist: Philip Guston
- Year: 1940
- Format: Landscape
- Copyright status: Under copyright
- Color palette: Earthy
- Color hue: Golden Yellow Range
- Perceived brightness: balanced
Questions & Answers
Is Philip Guston, creator of "Gladiators", known under other names?
Other names recorded for Philip Guston, creator of "Gladiators", include Phillip Goldstein, Philip Goldstein, Phillip (birth name - used before 1935) Goldstein.
Is "Gladiators" free of copyright?
"Gladiators" by Philip Guston is still protected by copyright. This status governs how the image of the work may be reproduced.
Does "Gladiators" show strong light-dark contrasts?
The light-dark contrast of "Gladiators" is recorded as bold. Contrast describes how strongly light and dark areas differ.