Esther Phillips 1958 Gouache and Acrylic Painting "Gowanus Sand Barges"

Item Details

Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Gowanus Sand Barges, 1958
Gouache and acrylic on paperboard
Signed to the lower left and to the verso
Titled and dated to the verso

A gouache and acrylic painting on paperboard titled Gowanus Sand Barges by artist Esther Phillips, dated 1958. 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. It is signed to the lower right and to the verso along with the title and date. Similar watercolor and gouache paintings by Phillips 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

- toning, discoloration, and accretions to board and composition; wear and fraying to board edges.

Dimensions

Item #

19DCC030-302