Esther Phillips 1951 Figural Watercolor Painting
Item Details
Esther Phillips (Pittsburgh/New York; 1902-1983)
Untitled, 1951
Watercolor painting on paper
Unsigned
Inscribed and dated to the verso of painting
Additional watercolor painting to verso
A watercolor painting on paper by artist Esther Phillips, dated 1951. This work features two curavous female figures rendered with sinuous delineations. It is unsigned and is presented matted and mounted to foam core. An additional watercolor painting on an abstract landscape is depicted to the paper verso.
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.
For 6 1/2 years, the artist lived in an asylum located in upstate New York. This work is one of figural paintings of her fellow asylum inmates at the institution. In addition to dancing, other works of hers feature women bowling in the asylum bowling alley and playing basketball in the asylum gymnasium. Similar watercolor 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.
Condition
- some discoloration and warping to paper; stains, accretions, and toning to mat; mat has been unevenly trimmed to the edges; tape residue and discoloration to foam core.
Dimensions
- frame measures; visible image measures 8" W x 11" H.
Item #
19DCC030-338
