Theodore Clement Steele, American, 1847–1926
1892
Oil on canvas
55.88 cm x 101.6 cm | 22 x 40 in
Signed, inscribed, and dated lower right, T.C. Steele / Munich .83.
Accession: 1997.67
Courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields
Gift of Jeanette Wales Blanton
This beautiful work was painted by T.C. Steele when he lived in Germany with his family while studying painting at the Royal Academy of Art in Munich (1880 – 1885).
Steele began studying at the famed Küoniglichen Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Royal Academy of Art) in Munich, Germany in July of 1880, returning to Indianapolis, Indiana in May of 1885. These five years abroad are known as The Munich Period (1880 – 1885). Steele studied under Professor Loeffs and Professor Benzur, living in the suburban village of Schleissheim, where several artists were working.¹
“Schliersee, a resort tucked into the Alps thirty-eight rail miles southeast of Munich, was a favorite vacation spot for the Steele family. From the shores of Schliersee Lake, Steele depicts the picturesque quality of the town. Framed by sea and sky, the landscape of farms, cottages and churches is echoed in the water’s reflections. The boat placed to the left of the village provides the necessary balance to complete the carefully constructed composition.”²
¹ William H. Gerdts. Theodore Clement Steele: An American Maser of Light, New York, Chameleon Books, 1995. ASIN: B00217NK4K