Painting
Object number2007.131.115
Artist
Helen P. Contis
(died 2004)
Date1973-1998
MediumAcrylic; paper; ink
Credit LineGift of Helen Contis
DescriptionAcrylic painting on paper board. Two cardinals in shades of red perched on branches, accented yellow flowers with green foliage, and green leaves accented with yellow and red dots. Three trees below cardinals. Blue background with white stars. Dimensions13 x 10 in. (33 x 25.4 cm)Signed"Helen P. Contis / Peter & Helen Contis" lower right, in white and black.
InscriptionsBack: note written in red marker.
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.
Terms
On View
Not on view
