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Theodore Clement Steele
(Sep. 22, 1847 Indiana - Jul. 24, 1926 Indiana) American Oil Painting Artist Biography
Theodore Clement Steele was born on a farm, but when he was four years old his family moved to Waveland, Ind., where he attended Waveland Academy. He showed a lot of talent in art at an early age. He was inspired by the picturesque landscape scenes he came across in Indiana.
In 1870, after having studied briefly in Cincinnati and Chicago, he moved to Battle Creek and began working as a portrait painter. Three years later he he settled in Indianapolis where he had access to plenty of people who wanted oil portraits painted. He had only been famous locally for the portraits, but became nationally famous because of his landscape oil paintings. He sailed for Europe with funding from patrons and remained there for five years, studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. He began painting landscapes as well as portraits. Steele won a gold medal as a student in 1884 as he came to the end of his academy years. Although he clearly had skill before he left Indiana, he really grew while he was in Munich and his figure painting became fabulous. After his return to Indianapolis in 1885, Theodore Clement Steele opened his art studio again and began taking commissions for portraits, including one for the Indiana governor. Over the years, Steele painted the likeness of President Harrison and many other prominent people.
The story goes that he went to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and saw a big collection of actual French Impressionism paintings. There is no reason to think he'd ever seen a real Impressionist painting until that time. Gradually, Steele's style in painting landscapes began to change. Prior to that time, he spent a good six or seven years painting landscapes in a conservative style. His style began to change in landscape painting so that it became more impressionistic. Steele was still doing conventional portraits, but not conventional landscapes, almost like an alter ego. One day he could go out and paint a dark and dignified realist portrait and the next afternoon he could go out and paint an Impressionist painting. It's very interesting how he held both of these skills simultaneously. He became known as the "Master of Light" because of the appearance of his paintings.
In 1907 Steele and his second wife, purchased property and built a summer house. Known as “Singing Winds,” the house contained a large art studio for the artist and featured several acres of gardens. From 1907 to 1921 the couple wintered in Indianapolis until Steele became an artist in residence at the University of Indiana from 1922 until his death in 1926. The Singing Winds house is now a State Historic Site.
As Steele’s reputation grew, an increasing number of visitors were attracted meet the artist and to see his work and estate. His appreciation of nature, combined with his intelligence and his capacity for concentrated study, raised his works to an extraordinary level.
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Morning by the Stream
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Woman on the Porch
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Gordon Hill
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