- T. C. Steele
Infobox Artist
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name = T. C. Steele
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birthdate = birth date |1847|9|11|
location =Owen County, Indiana
deathdate = death date and age |1926|7|24|1847|9|11|
deathplace =
nationality = American
field =American Impressionism ,Painting
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awards =Theodore Clement Steele (
September 11 ,1847 -July 24 ,1926 ) was an American Impressionist painter known for hisIndiana landscapes. Steele was born inOwen County, Indiana , and later moved toIndianapolis after study inCincinnati ,Chicago andMunich . He is considered to be the most important of theHoosier Group of painters and his work is widely collected by museums and individuals. Steele earned his living primarily as a portrait painter and his portraits include one of notable Hoosier PoetJames Whitcomb Riley and the official portraits of several Indiana governors. Steele exhibited at and was on the art selection for theLouisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904 and was elected to theNational Academy of Design in 1913. He enjoyedplein air , or outdoor, painting, which is reflected in many of the landscapes he painted. Steele went through a notable change in style after his return from Munich in 1885. Steele's work, which in the Munich time period sported drab colors and high contrasts, shifted towards a brighter, more vivid color palette after his return to Indiana. Upon T.C. Steele's return, his family lived in the Talbot House, or Tinker Mansion, which is at what is now 16th and Pennsylvania Streets in Indianapolis. In 1898, Steele andJ. Ottis Adams bought a home inBrookville, Indiana , which they called "The Hermitage." Steele sold his interest in the home to Adams after the death of his first wife.He received an honorary master's degree from
Wabash College in 1900 and an honorary doctorate fromIndiana University in 1916.Brown County
His "House of the Singing Winds" built on convert|2000|acre|km2 in
Brown County, Indiana , is today a property of theIndiana State Museum and Historic Sites. Steele built the home for his second wife, Selma and their move to Brown County in 1907 is considered the beginning of the notedBrown County Art Colony .Forgeries
In the 1980s, a number of Steele forgeries were placed in the public spotlight. Authentic T.C. Steele paintings are valuable, with one painting fetching $220,000 in 2004.
References
* Burnet, Mary Q. Art and Artists of Indiana. New York; The Century Co., 1921.
* William H Gerdts; T. C. Steele;Evansville Museum of Arts and Science ;Valparaiso University Museum of Art. "Theodore Clement Steele, an American master of light" (New York, N.Y. : Chameleon Books, 1995) (Worldcat link: [http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/33132008?tab=details] )OCLC 33132008
* Holladay, Ruth. “Auction draws new picture of state’s art history, appreciation.” The Indianapolis Star. 22 Jan. 2004
* Krause, Martin. The Passage: Return of Indiana Painters from Germany, 1880 – 1905. Indianapolis: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1990.
* Mannheimer, Steve. “More forgeries of T.C. Steele paintings found; probe grows.” The Indianapolis Star. 20 Nov. 1984.
*Steele, Selma N., Theodore L. Steele, Wilbur D. Peat. The House of the Singing Winds. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Soc., 1989.External Links
* [http://www.tcsteele.org Official Site of Steele Home]
* [http://www.in.gov/ism/StateHistoricSites/T.C.SteeleHome/index.aspx Indiana State Museum]
* [http://newground.iufoundation.iu.edu/issue12/steele.html Slideshow of paintings from Indiana University Foundation]
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