Esther Phillips Abstract Oil Painting on Board of Gowanus Canal

Item Details

Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Untitled
Oil on paint on board
Signed to lower right
15’ W x 12’ H

An oil painting on board of Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. Rendered with vibrant colors, simplified shapes, and textural impasto, this abstract scene features boats and bridges crossing above – a frequent subject portrayed by the artist. The work is signed ‘Phillips’ to the lower right and remains unframed.

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

- paint chipping and loss at corners and along edges; some scratches and faint spots of accretions scattered throughout painting; wear along board edges.

Dimensions

Item #

18DCC307-030