Oakland
Object number2007.131.29
Artist
Peter A. Contis
(died 1973)
Date1971
MediumAcrylic; canvas; wood; paper; glass
Credit LineGift of Helen Contis
DescriptionAcrylic painting on canvas. Multi-colored. Ten buildings from Oakland section of Pittsburgh , including Saint Paul's Cathedral, Cathedral of Learning, and Syria Mosque. In total, three churches represented. Surrounded by greenery and trees accented with multi-colored dots. Blue sky.Dimensions30 x 1 x 23.875 in. (76.2 x 2.5 x 60.6 cm)Signed"P.A. Contis / 7-10-71" in black, right lower center, on art.
Inscriptions One building with "SYRIA" written at top.
Historical NotesThis painting is part of a large collection of paintings and sketches by Peter and Helen Contis. Peter painted many Oakland scenes but never repeated himself because each have different story lines, different narrative/experience to explore. 1969 religious reference to Oakland picture. Two tiers (St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church and Heinz Chapel). Peter inserted his own Greek Orthodox Cathedral, St. Nicholas. 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)
On View
Not on view
