Esther Phillips Watercolor on Paper Rural Town Scene

Item Details

Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Untitled, mid 20th century
Watercolor on paper
Signed “Phillips” to lower right
Inscribed to verso

A mid 20th-century watercolor painting on paper board of a rural town scene by American artist Esther Phillips (1902-1983). Rendered with simplified forms and large loose brushstrokes, this work features a hilly landscape populated with farm houses and autumnal trees. Signed ‘Phillips’ to the lower right, the work is not matted 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

- wear to paper edges including some folding and small tears.

Dimensions

Item #

18DCC747-006