Being an Indiana artist in the late 1800s was no easy task. Critics rarely paid attention to the art. If there were exhibitions, the art was chosen by East Coast groups.
In 1896, famed Hoosier T.C. Steele along with J. Ottis Adams, William Forsyth and 15 others formed The Society of Western Artists to take Indiana art to the world.
They had been typically treated as royalty by the Indiana art critics. It wasnít until the first exhibition of the Society of Western Artists in Chicago that they tasted critical harshness.
The tumult of the exhibition, and subsequent response, is captured with precision by
Rachel Berenson Perry in the oversize, illustration-rich ìT.C. Steele and The Society of Western Artists 1896-1914,î published by Indiana University Press.
Perry also captures the essences of many of the artists through their own writings and correspondence.
The most telling comes at the start, with T.C. Steele defining his preference for impressionistic landscapes: ìIt is light that gives mystery to shadow, vibration to atmosphere, and makes all the color notes sing together in harmony.î
As if writing could be impressionistic art, Steele added, ìIt must be conceded that by shifting the point of interest from the detail to the general effect ... a new store of beauty has been opened to humanity and one almost unexplored before.î
Of course, more intriguing are the nearly 80 pages of artwork and photographs, including work by Steele, Adams, Forsyth and other peers. In Lost Cove, Tennessee, Steele (then worried about his wifeís tuberculosis) paints an earthen road dissolving into a moody, steamy mountainscape that seems to question his future. Contrast that to the bright, strong hillsides that celebrates nature of ìA Spur of the Roan.î Both were painted in 1899.
Winifred Brady Adams, who studied at the Muncie Art School and married J. Ottis Adams, painted floral settings, notably ìA Pot of Poppies,î with warm red flowers starting to droop; but the work is better defined by the two flowers that have fallen, clinging to their color. Adamsí ìThe Closing of an Autumn Dayîù is rich with fall hues, made more vibrant by the sun and its reflection from a lake.
Read the detailed history at your leisure, but take a good long look at the artwork. T.C. Steele and The Society of Western Artistsí is certainly the best Indiana coffee table book of the season.
Community
T.C. Steele art featured in coffee table book
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A dream cabin in the woods
Phil Hatter regularly told his children that once they were all grown, he would build a log cabin in the country. They didn’t believe him. “I think log homes are really neat, but they have to be put in the right place,” he said.
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Jim Bailey: Jim Carter made football a respectable sport at AHS
When I first came to Anderson in 1951, Jim Carter had been named head football coach at Anderson High School. At that time, football at AHS was little more than an activity to get out of the way to make room for basketball season. The Indians were known to play two games in the same week to shorten the season.
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Community Briefs: May 27
A compilation of community news as published in the Sunday edition of The Herald Bulletin.
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Remember When: May 27
The slide was one of the more popular attractions at the Falls Park swimming area in Pendleton as evidenced by the number of people waiting their turn on the slide’s steps and its top platform.
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Champions League makes everyone a winner
The Champions League — in its 12th season — is sponsored by the Pendleton Junior Baseball Association and is open to anyone 5 to 18 with physical and developmental disabilities.
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History: Lapel Telephone Co. was talk of town
In November 1962, when the Lapel Telephone Co. was sold to United Utilities by the children of founder Earl Tull, a Madison County era ended.
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Back in the News: May 27
The Herald Bulletin looks back at stories from the Anderson Daily Bulletin and The Anderson Herald newspapers.
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Howard Hewitt: 'Pink' wines growing in popularity
Those silly looking pink wines in your favorite wine shop or liquor store are gaining respect through robust sales.
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Nancy Vaughan: Tomorrow starts today
The United Way of Madison County's 2011 annual report seeks to recognize the individuals and organizations that contribute their resources to support investments and activities to increase the education, income and health of all who call Madison County home.
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Births: May 27
Local birth listings are published each Sunday in The Herald Bulletin. Birth announcements with a photo are available for a fee. Call The Herald Bulletin at 640-4800 for more information.
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