Esther Phillips Watercolor Painting on Paper Abstract Landscape

Item Details

Esther Phillips
Untitled
Watercolor
Signed

Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Untitled
Watercolor on paper
Signed ‘Phillips’ to lower right
22.5’ W x 15.5’ H

A watercolor painting on paper of an abstract landscape by American artist Esther Phillips (1902-1983). This work features a fenced landscape populated with trees, portrayed with simple geometric shapes, dark outlines, and vibrant colors. The work is signed ‘Phillips’ in graphite to the lower right. It is not mounted 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, farm scenes, 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

- wear to paper edges including small tears, creases, and curling; tape remnants to paper verso; brown stain present to central area of painting.

Dimensions

Item #

18DCC450-069