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Peter MillerDance Wands, Modernist Southwestern Still Life and Cultural Commentary1950's
1950's
About the Item
"Dance Wands" is a 36 x 24 inches, oil on canvas painting by American modernist and surrealist, female artist Peter Miller. The work is painted in a vibrant color palette, signed and titled on verso, and estate stamped #202126 on verso. The painting has been conserved and inspected by conservation specialist, Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Inc.
Exhibition history: Forgotten Woman of American Modernism, Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 2022.
Provenance: Estate of the Artist; Private Collection, Saugerties, New York; Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Image: Peter Miller and Tilano Montoya ca 1930s Courtesy Los Alamos History Museum Archive Patrick Burns Collection.
An excerpt from "Finding Peter Miller", an essay written by Paul S. Gratz:
"Miller’s technique was unique. In some of her paintings, she textured the ground to mimic canyon walls. In others, she used sgraffito and applied thin veils of color that she would then skillfully and partially rub off with rags. One small area of the canvas can contain six to eight different colors. The yellows and orange underneath provide a glow of spirituality to many of her canvases. The compositions are deliberate and she had a sophisticated knowledge of color. There are paintings within the painting, layers upon layers."
American artist Peter Miller (1913-1996) was born Henrietta Myers in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She began using the name Peter Miller after concluding her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1934 and her marriage to fellow artist and Academy student Earle Miller in 1935. She felt collectors and critics would take her paintings more seriously if she was identified as a male. In childhood, Henrietta and her best friend Ruth picked fictitious nicknames for themselves, and Henrietta reportedly decided upon the name Peter because she liked the idea that it was derived from the Greek word for “rock” or “stone”. Drawn to being one with the natural world would prove to be an essential inspiration to her creativity throughout her life. Miller is classified as an American Modernist, a reputation she earned for having shown at the prestigious gallery and premiere showcase for Surrealist painting of Julien Levy in New York in the 1940s. Reviewers of her exhibitions noted the unmistakable influence of the artists Joan Miró, whose work she owned and whom she knew, and Arthur Carles, whom she studied with, and sources in Native American culture, which came from sharing time between her home state of Pennsylvania and New Mexico.
Peter Miller was an artist, a philanthropist, a mystic, and a woman of endless passion for nature and adventure. She and her husband Earle split their time between Pennsylvania and their ranch in Espanola, New Mexico. Bordering the San Ildefonso Pueblo and developing a trusted friendship with the Native Americans, she was greatly inspired by their culture and rituals, as well as by the deeply rooted love for their land. Peter's admiration for the beauty of the terrain evoked a sensuality in her work that was represented in her focus on spirituality through deep color saturation.
Peter Miller's artwork has been exhibited most notably at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1954, 1969, 1992); Julien Levy Gallery, New York (1944, 1945); Santa Fe State Art Museum (1935); The Woman, Art of this Century, Peggy Guggenheim (1945); Modern Art Gallery, Santa Fe (1948); 150th National Academy of Design/New York (1975); Lacarda Gallery, New York (1975); Olympia Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (1975); The Schoolhouse, Downingtown, PA 1992). One critic and longtime supporter called her work "that rare combination of incurable romantic and classical empiricist". This Peter Miller artwork is framed in a natural wood floater frame.
- Creator:Peter Miller (1913 - 1996, American)
- Creation Year:1950's
- Dimensions:Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Artwork has been cleaned, varnished, and inspected by a professional art conservator. A detailed condition report is available upon request.
- Gallery Location:Doylestown, PA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1402214164772
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