Peacocks Under a Willow Tree
Object number2007.131.24
Artist
Peter A. Contis
(died 1973)
Date1962-1973
MediumAcrylic; canvas; paper; glass; metal
Credit LineGift of Helen Contis
DescriptionAcrylic painting on canvas. Two black peacocks with red, white, blue, and yellow dotted accents, under green and white branch of weeping willow tree; six conical dark trees in background; hills green with yellow, blue, pink, and white accents, with smaller trees or bushes; blue sky. Dimensions22.875 x 1 x 18.875 in. (58.1 x 2.5 x 47.9 cm)Signed"P. A. Contis" in white lower right corner on art.
Historical NotesThis painting is part of a large collection of paintings and sketches by Peter and Helen Contis. Peacocks are a symbol of eternity. There is one on Peter's grave stone. Palm tree is a symbol of god's protection. Palm tree is a representation of Palm Sunday which appears in church murals in Greece. Christ's entry into Jerusalem. Peacocks are the subjects of several paintings done by Peter. Gold is considered the color of light (the light within us). When gate is closed peacocks face in opposite directions, birth and death, time past and time future. Symbols were the language of his spiritual life. Peacocks in Greece were a part of Greek mythology and a symbol of protection. Peter Contis emigrated to Pittsburgh in 1910 and began working in the restaurant business with his brothers. Peter later returned to his homeland of Greece and met Helen in 1928; they married three months later. Moving back to Pittsburgh, Peter eventually opened a restaurant called the Neon Grill in 1932, while Helen raised their three children. Nearly thirty years later, the restaurant was closed and razed, allowing the Contis' to realize their talent in art. A religious man all his life, Peter began painting landscapes, both of Pittsburgh and Greece, and other still lifes, focusing on God's perfect affection in nature: his buildings are symmetrical and colors are vivid. Helen's talents were not revealed until after Peter's death in 1973, when she began to paint poetically the landscapes and still lifes on her own. Helen died in 2004.
Related person
Helen P. Contis
(died 2004)
Subjects
Terms
On View
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