Purple Zinnias
Object number2007.131.154
Artist
Peter A. Contis
(died 1973)
Date1962-1973
MediumAcrylic paint; paper
Credit LineGift of Helen Contis
DescriptionAcrylic painting on paper. Three purple zinnia flowers with yellow centers, with six buds and green foliage, in black and yellow vase, accented with white and orange dots, a green flower in center. Blue and pink background with yellow white divider in center. Dimensions8.875 x 11.875 in. (22.5 x 30.2 cm)Signed"PA Contis" White over blue.
InscriptionsBlack: white rectangle sticker label handwritten in pen, "Purple / Zinnias / NO 92"; white circular sticker on lower box, lower right corner, number "92".
Historical NotesThis painting is part of a large collection of paintings and sketches by Peter and Helen Contis. 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
Not on view
