LOT DETAILS

Materials:

Oil on canvas

Measurements:

34.00 in. (86.36 cm.) (height) by 42.00 in. (106.68 cm.) (width)

Markings:

Signed, dated, and titled on the stretcher: "Before and After the Unfortunate Accident" Melissa W. Miller 1979

Provenance:

Moody Galleries, Houston. One of the most successful contemporary Texas artist, Melissa W. Miller was born in Houston in 1951. While a student of famous Realist, Gabriel Laderman, Miller's style is more Expressionistic with broad brushstrokes and bright colors. She attended the University of Texas in Austin and continued her education at the University of New Mexico. Miller received National Endowment for the Arts grants in 1979, 1982, and 1985. In her own words, "Since 1985, there has been a shift in my paintings from an external observation of the human condition to an internal dialogue about the psyche.... Though individual animals are still the main protagonists in my paintings, they now interact with humanoids, angels, demons and spirits. In all the paintings, symbols and characters are carefully considered. I often use western cultural symbols of angels and devils to personify good and evil." Miller returned to her alma mater, University of Texas, to teach until her retirement in 2011.