Esther Phillips Gouache Painting Abstract Harbor Scene

Item Details

Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Untitled, early 1950s
Gouache painting on paper
Signed “Phillips” to the lower right

A gouache painting on paper by listed artist Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983). Drawn to water and bridges at an early age, the artist painted numerous works of the Gowanus Canal and other scenes featuring boats in harbor, as is exhibited in this work. This abstract harbor scene is rendered in the artist’s signature style with vibrant pigments, simplified forms, and bold delineations. Signed “Phillips” to the lower right, the composition is presented under glass with off-white matting and housed in a gilt wooden 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 and negligible finish loss throughout the frame.

Dimensions

- measures the frame; sight size 8.75" W x 4" H.

Item #

18DCC649-021