Reviews Edited by Stephen Segal

Pittsburgh May 2002
Written by Mike May 

Portrait of the Artist

“You will say it is perfectly terrible or that some day she will be called a genius,” a Pittsburgh Press reporter opined in reviewing an exhibit of Esther Phillips’ art back in 1933. At the time, her avant-garde work generated heated debate. Today, it probably would be better understood—and, indeed, could be called visionary. With This Fantastic Struggle:  The Life and Art of Esther Phillips ($18, Creative Arts Book Co., paperback), her art can be reevaluated and debated afresh. (Considering you’re unlikely to see a Phillips painting or drawing, the gallery of color plates in the book offers an important resource.) Whether or not you fancy her style—expressionistic might describe it—this book by Perry Hilltop author Lisa A. Miles works as a biography: a compelling, well-researched story of a sad, tragic life.

Born in Russia and raised in Pittsburgh, Phillips (1902-1983) attended Carnegie Tech and later moved to Greenwich Village to pursue her art. This is a starving-artist story, yes, but one viewed without any rose-colored glasses. With “fierce determination,” Phillips pursued her art and vision:  enduring a life of poverty, spending time in a mental institution, losing her sight in her declining years. (Her art did enjoy a revival back in her hometown in the 1980s and ‘90s, with a few local exhibitions.) Despite all her hardships, Phillips claimed to have lived a wonderful life—and one not forgotten about, thanks to Miles.

The author will present a free reading at Carnegie Library’s downtown branch, 414 Wood Street, on Tuesday, May 6, 2002 at 12:15 P.M.