Oct, 27, 2021
ArtArtists
Philip C. Curtis: Visions of the Halloween Tradition
Each year in October, our wildest dreams and spookiest fantasies come to life through elaborate costume ensembles, theatrical haunted houses, scary movies we eventually regret watching, and all of the Halloween goodness we can soak in during the 31-day-long scare-athon that is the month of October. Philip C. Curtis, who played a key role in founding Phoenix Art Museum in the 1950s and is most often described as a surrealist or magical realism painter, is known for his moody and often eerie compositions that give us big-time Halloween vibes.
Curtis’ vibrantly colored dreamlike scenarios often include desolate desert landscapes, Victorian-style formalwear, men playing instruments in unusual settings, and potentially even portals to other dimensions. The artwork featured above, Apples Never Fall Far From the Tree (1953), particularly reminds us of Halloween’s origin story.
The Halloween tradition as we know it today can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived primarily in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the northern regions of France, celebrated their new year on November 1 but would gather in handmade costumes the night before, on October 31 (All Hallow’s Eve), and light bonfires to repel evil or negative spirits—a setting similar to Curtis’ spooky scene.
Each of Curtis’ paintings are distinctly unique, but what they all have in common is the element of mystery. Keep scrolling to see other examples of the artist’s work and consider how, through each imaginative brush stroke, he has left a secret for each of us to discover.
