Esther Phillips 1940s Watercolor Painting of Wingdale, New York Street Scene
Item Details
Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Untitled, late 1940s
Watercolor painting on paper
Signed “Phillips” to the lower right
A watercolor painting on paper by artist Esther Phillips (1902-1983), created in the late 1940s. This work features a view of a railroad crossing in Wingdale, New York, a subject frequently painted by the artist in the late 1940s, as it was the town where the artist was institutionalized. A similer work is featured in Lisa A. Miles’ biography of the artist titled This Fantastic Struggle: the life and art of Esther Phillips, published in 2002. Signed to the lower right, this work is presented under glass, matted, and housed in a black composite frame.
Esther Phillips left Pittsburgh in the late 1930s to pursue a bohemian lifestyle in Greenwich Village. A member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, she immersed herself into local artistic circles, and among her artist friends were modernists Milton Weiss (American; 1912-1995) and Franz Kline (American; 1910-1962). Phillips’ work was often executed in watercolors at a quick pace, exhibiting the influence of Fauvism, Cubism, and artists such as Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, and Georgia O’Keeffe. Frequent subjects include abstracted cityscapes, townscapes, and asylum scenes that feature vibrant colors, simple shapes, and overall flatness. Her work has been exhibited posthumously at multiple galleries such as the Carson Street Gallery, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and the Borelli-Edwards Gallery, among others.
Condition
- minor wear throughout the frame; minor toning throughout paper.
Dimensions
- measures the frame; sight size 22" W x 15" H.
Item #
ITMG063831