Painting
Object number2007.131.129
ArtistPossibly
Helen P. Contis
(died 2004)
ArtistPossibly
Peter A. Contis
(died 1973)
Date1962-1998
MediumAcrylic paint; paper
Credit LineGift of Helen Contis
DescriptionAcrylic painting on blue paper. Two green trees accented with black and brown lines, with yellow and red flowers. Two smaller green trees with yellow and black accents.Dimensions11 x 15 in. (27.9 x 38.1 cm)InscriptionsBack: in pencil, top right corner, "25.00".
Historical NotesThis painting is part of a large collection of paintings and sketches by Peter and Helen Contis. It is unknown which artist painted this artwork since it is unsigned. 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.
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