Esther Phillips Gouache Painting "Gowanus Canal"
Item Details
Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Gowanus Canal, late 1950s
Gouache on paperboard
Signed “Phillips” to lower right
Titled and inscribed to verso
A gouache painting on paperboard titled Gowanus Canal by artist Esther Phillips, created in the late 1950s. 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 and industrial structures, as seen in this work. Signed ‘Phillips’ to the lower right, this work is presented under glass with off-white matting, and is housed in a silver-tone gesso wood frame. A handwritten descriptive label providing the artist and title of the work is adhered to the verso. Similar paintings of Gowanus Canal are featured in Lisa A. Miles’ biography of the artist titled This Fantastic Struggle: the life and art of Esther Phillips, published in 2002.
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 scattered throughout frame.
Dimensions
- measurement of frame; visible image measures approximately 25.5" W x 15.5" H.
Item #
18DCC800-028
