Theodore Clement Steele, Afternoon Sunlight (Brown County), 1919, oil on canvas, donor: Randolph H. Deer
As one of T.C. Steele’s late works, this 1919 Brown County landscape painting captures the essence of his golden years. In these later years, the Indiana native painter was renowned for his landscape works, which came to light shortly after his schooling in Munich, Germany. While in school in Munich, Steele learned the German word, stimmung, which explains his commitment to the true effects of nature in the precise moment of his painting’s conception. This way of painting guided him throughout the rest of his landscape works and is exemplified in this work.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Indiana artists, including Steele, feared their return to Indiana after being in Germany because of its reputation for being non-picturesque. This was Steele’s original experience upon his move to Brown County. He did not feel “wholly satisfied” with many of his Brown County landscape works because he felt as if they did not express himself enough.This led to his characteristic desire to be familiar with a landscape before painting it, which motivated him to stay in Brown County. As a result of this inclination, this Afternoon Sunset painting stems from his many years of familiarity with this Brown County scenery, which in return gives it its relaxing and calming feel.
Click the links below for more information about this painting and artist:
- The Changing Seasons and T. C. Steele’s Landscapes
- T. C. Steele’s Rebirth From Depression and Sickness
- Germany as a Catalyst for T. C. Steele’s Landscapes
- Video of T. C. Steele and Brown County
- Audio of Letter by T. C. Steele in which he talks about his reasons for studying in Germany, from The House of the Singing Winds by Thelma Steele:
Ethan Farmer