Esther Phillips Gouache Painting of Harbor Scene

Item Details

Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York, 1902 – 1983)
Untitled (cityscape with bridge), late 1950s
Gouache painting on paper
Signed to the lower right

Provenance
From the collection of P.J. McArdle

A gouache painting of a harbor scene with a bridge by artist Esther Phillips, created in the late 1950s. Drawn to water and bridges at an early age, the artist painted numerous works of bridges and boats in harbor often located in Brooklyn or Manhattan. This work features the artist’s signature style exhibiting simple flattened shapes and vibrant colors. Signed ‘Phillips’ to the lower right, it is presented under glass in a black wood 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

- moderate accretion throughout, including beneath glass; scuffs and flaking paint loss to frame; water damage and tears to backing paper.

Dimensions

- measures frame; visible work 16" W x 5.25" H.

Item #

ITMG260137