Birds and Columns

Object number2007.131.49

Artist Peter A. Contis (died 1973)

Date1965

MediumAcrylic; canvas; paper; metal

Credit LineGift of Helen Contis

DescriptionAcrylic painting on board. Elaborate multi-colored garden scene. Diverse types of flowers throughout. Two sets of two corinthian columns on left and right sides. Various species of birds (including blue bird, robins, cardinals, peacock, and lovebirds) throughout. In center, yellow house with green and white accents; eight people (Peter Contis's family) inside house, most looking of windows and some waving; one girl standing on outside steps with two black cats.Dimensions61 x 40.5 in. (154.9 x 102.9 cm)
Signed"P A Contis / 1-10-65" in black, lower right on art (on lighter version).
Historical NotesThis painting is part of a large collection of paintings and sketches by Peter and Helen Contis. George made this for his sister, Artemis. His parents house is at the center. He also painted the crabapple tree he loved. Loved cardinals and robins. Border reminiscent of the stole's of religious icons. In 1964, daughter was expecting her first child, she suggested Peter to paint a picture for the baby. Flowers and animals so the baby "will grow up to be stimulated by all those wonderful things" (36). In the middle is Peter's own house with figures of family on each side. Helen is at the front, at the top of the flight of steps. The cat depicted is Peter's neighbor's. The daughter's unborn child is shown. Two pairs of classical columns on each side (Corinthian columns painted like in Ancient Greece). Benign peacock is a symbol of everlasting life. Then he filled in the space with foliage, birds, and flowers he observed in the garden. Decorative frieze around edge (partly geometric, partly floral). 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 Peter A. Contis (died 1973)

Related person Artemis Contis

Subjects