Many scholars exclude New York painter Philip Guston (1913-80) from the artistic tradition of Abstract Expressionism due to his absence from New York City during the group's early formative years. This thesis asserts, however, that Guston's role in Abstract Expressionism can be firmly established through his unique interpretation of the formative influence of surrealist automatism. Though never engaging with the surrealists directly, Guston explored automatist ideas upon meeting New York School experimental music composers John Cage and Morton Feldman. This trio's engagement with the Zen Buddhist concepts of unimpededness and interpenetration influenced Guston to create compositions through chance operations, a process Cage would call "indeterminacy." My aim is to enrich an understanding of Guston's idiosyncratic relationship to Abstract Expressionism and, ultimately, to offer a more expansive definition of Abstract Expressionism in general, allowing for a broader understanding of the formation of American modernism.

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This essay investigates how Philip Guston and Henry Taylor explore the subject of African American oppression in their art and how they have been received by critics and art institutions. Using semiotics based on Hans Haydens article “Den omplacerade koden: Om Edgar Degas Interiör”, this essay explores how meaning is created in signs existing within the respective artists’ works. Readings of the artists´ own words has also assisted in the search for meaning and understanding of the paintings. Postcolonial perspectives were also applied for the means of interpreting the artworks in question, and the signs they contain. For this section Ania Loombas book Colonialism/postcolonialism as well as Åsa Bharathi Larsons doctorate thesis Colonizing Fever have been utilized.        After the visual analysis the essay investigates how the artists have been received by critics and art institutions. In the case of Guston, a time difference is also accounted for, analyzing how his work was received when he first presented his paintings in the 70’s compared to today. Upon analyzing Guston’s work multiple signs were identified and interpreted. Most notably the hooded Klan member, whose representative purpose is multifaceted, communicative of subjects such as racism, guilt, and the concept of being evil. Visual codes regarding self-portraiture also pointed at one of the paintings as being a self-portrait. This theory is also supported by Guston’s own claim of the Klan paintings being pictures of himself.        In Taylors work, signs present and discuss oppression of black people in America from a historical as well as a contemporary perspective, often referencing people and places personal to Taylor.        In the 1970’s Philip Guston’s Klan paintings were heavily critiqued for their visual qualities and stylistic expression, while no notable comments were made of the content/subject matter. Today the situation is different, with the main critique of his works being directed to his use of Klan imagery. Many artists and writers today are in support of Gustons work though.         Henry Taylor’s paintings are generally well received by critics and have seen a rise in popularity concurrent with the Black Lives Matter movement. Taylor has also recently been the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Modern Museum of Contemporary art in LA.