Esther Phillips Watercolor and Graphite Painting of Farm Landscape

Item Details

Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York, 1902 – 1983)
Untitled (farm landscape), circa 1948
Watercolor and graphite on paper
Signed to the lower right
Includes a dated figural watercolor sketch to the verso

Provenance
From the collection of P.J. McArdle.

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

- marks and abrasions to the mat.

Dimensions

- measures mat; sight measures 17.0" W x 14.5" H.

Item #

ITMG330800