Style Imitating Art: “Evening Poplars”

Welcome to my first Style Imitating Art post with me as the curator! My choice was “Evening Poplars” by TC Steele. Style Imitating Art comes from Salazar, Shelbee, and me. You can think of this series as fashion meets art museum! Style Imitating Art challenges people to find inspiration in different art works, create looks based upon that art work, and share them with the curator for that piece.

How it works…

Every other Monday one of us selects an inspiration piece of art and posts the image on their blog. We then invite others to interpret that art work through their style. The following Monday, we share our outfits. The curator shares submissions the following Wednesday on her blog. I chose this week’s art work for this round of Style Imitating Art. If you’d like, you can read why I chose it here. Please send your photo to me by Tuesday, February 13th, at mlrbanks57@gmail.com. Style Imitating Art is an interesting way to inspire your outfits. You can see a few of my looks here, here, here, and here.

Evening Poplars…

About the artist…

Theodore Clement Steele was born on September 11, 1847 in Owen County, Indiana. When he was five, the Steele family moved to Waveland in Montgomery County. It was here that Steele first began to draw. His formal training began at Waveland Collegiate Institute. By the time he was 13, Steele was instructing the other students. At age 16, he continued his education at Asbury College which is now DePauw University. For a time, Steele also studied in Chicago, IL and Cincinnati, OH. Upon his return to Indiana and Indianapolis, Steele began his career as a paid artist, completing commissions for portraits.

A little more…

Steele married Mary Elizabeth (Libby) Lakin in 1870. The couple had three children, Rembrandt, Daisy, and Shirley. Steele supported his family by painting portraits of wealthy patrons. It was these patrons who sent him to Munich for further study at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. Steele also studied the Old Masters at the Alte Pinakothek galleries. In addition to his formal studies, Steele, his family and other painters painted plein air (outdoor painting). It was probably this that led him to eventually turn to landscapes. After convincing his patrons of the need for more study, Steele remained in Europe for a total of five years.

“Though T.C. made his living by painting portraits, he knew that painting landscapes was his true love. He wanted to capture the light and color of the autumn landscape and spent summers and autumns in the country so that he could work on his landscapes. He even purchased a “studio wagon” in which he and his family could travel the countryside in comfort (source).”

Even more…

When the Steele family returned to Indianapolis, they took up residence at the corner of 16th and Pennsylvania Streets. That was the Tinker mansion (AKA Talbott Place) then. Today, that area marks the place for the annual Talbot Street Art Fair, one of the top art fairs in the country. Once Steele built an art studio there, it became the center of Indianapolis’ art community. In time, Steele became more and more recognized as a leader in Hoosier art as well as serving on many juries for national and international art exhibitions. His work as a portrait artist morphed into that of a landscape artist as he transitioned into Impressionism. Steele’s work, heavily influenced by the rural areas in which he painted, soon reflected his studies of light and color. While he painted in Indiana, Steele also traveled to Vermont and Tennessee. He took his wife, Libby, there in order for her to find respite from rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis. She died on November 14, 1899.

Still more…

Daisy, the couple’s daughter had married Gustave Neubacher in 1905. In 1907, Steele married Gustave’s sister, Selma, the assistant art superintendent for the Indianapolis school system. That same year, Steele bought 171 acres of land in Brown County. In 1910, he purchased another 40 acres. He and Selma built a home, “House of the Singing Winds.” They created an atmosphere open to visitors and artists which led to the Brown County Art Colony. From 1880 until 1915, five artists, William Forsyth, Otto Stark, J. Ottis Adams, Richard Gruelle, and Steele, were dubbed the Hoosier Group by Chicago art critic and novelist, Hamlin Garland, when he saw their work at an exhibition in Indianapolis.

“The Hoosier Group made a lasting impact on the art world and the next generation of Indiana painters. Indiana did not have an art school until Steele and Adams founded their own schools and began teaching. Adams was one of the founders of Herron School of Art and was a teacher and principal until Forsyth took over in 1906. Many of the next generation of Indiana’s artists learned and studied from at least one of these men (source).”

A skosh more…

Steele would continue to accumulate accolades and awards. In 1900, he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Wabash College which is in Crawfordsville, not far from where he grew up. I mentioned Steele also attended Asbury College which became DePauw University. There is a huge competition between these two schools complete with a trophy (the Monon Bell) awarded at the annual football game. Now how in the world do I know this? My oldest son and lots of my money went to Wabash College. So, I chuckled when I read that Steele had attended DePauw (before it was DePauw) but received an honorary degree from Wabash! Unbelievably, there’s a Wikipedia page for the Monon Bell (here). You can go read about some of the shenanigans attached to this trophy. And, yes, they are the Little Giants!

Finally…

In 1922, TC Steele became the first artist in residence at Indiana University. During the school year, Steele and his wife, Selma, would rent a home in Bloomington, IN. But, during the summer, they would return to Brown County where Steele continued to paint and write. He also continued to exhibit and lecture. In December of 1925, Steele suffered a heart attack. He recovered to a degree, but in June of the following year, he became ill. TC Steele died on July 24, 1926. His ashes were buried on a hillside in Brown County. Selma eventually donated the 211 acres along with structures to the Indiana Department of Conservation in order to create a state historic site in memory of Steele. In 1973, the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Theodore Clement Steele House and Studio. The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites now manages the property. You can read so much more about this amazing place here.

“Houses may be bought, but homes grow and out of the heart’s depths. Memories cluster about them, so that when we give them up, there is a pain that will not down. Rest and contentment and recreation live in the home, and out of it we get the inspiration and strength for the work in the world that tells.” – TC Steele

About “Evening Poplars”…

“Evening Poplars” was painted in 1885 with oils on board. The art work measures 31.25 x 25.25 in. (79.38 x 64.14 cm). It is stunning in real life. It is currently on display at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. In years past, the museum has displayed many more of Steele’s works as well as others from the Hoosier Group. This was the only one I could find the last time we visited. It isn’t unusual to see these kinds of poplars dotting the landscape here in Indiana. It doesn’t strike me as being a landscape from Nashville, though, as that part of Indiana is quite hilly. But, it is a beautiful rendering of an evening stroll down a country lane.

My interpretation…

This was not my first interpretation. In the first one, I did choose to go with a green dress because that’s such a predominant color in the art. But, I just didn’t like the look at all. When I looked more closely at the painting, I see a woman in a red/maroon dress. And, even though I’ve now worn this Monique Everyday dress from April Cornell a couple of times (here, here), I decided it was the only dress that would work for this challenge. Not only is it maroon, it also has splashes of green. I then added a moss green slip from Gudrun Sjödén for more green at the bottom of my look.

The Lewk!

It’s funny how I don’t have much in the way of green clothing, but green tights…check! Green boots…double check! Green jewelry…check, check, check, and check! I decided to pull out all the prasiolite (green amethyst) jewelry…well, a lot of it anyway. The bracelet and earrings are from eBay. The ring and necklace are both Effy and from Macy’s (or LS Ayres before it was Macy’s). I’m not sure why I didn’t get earrings to match the ring and necklace. I think it may have been they didn’t have any. I love these L’Artiste Waterlily boots. The heel is approaching my “nope, not going there” height, but they don’t fall into the car-to-table category, either.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I have known about TC Steele for almost all of my adult life. When I was pregnant with my youngest, my mom, oldest sister, and our kids went to Nashville, IN. Nashville is located in Brown County, and it was there I first saw signs about the TC Steele art group. While I have never (I know, I know) been to the TC Steele State Historic Site, I intend to rectify that glaring error this summer. Nashville is about an hour’s drive from us (longer with road construction…always road construction). It was more an artsy little place when I first visited. Over the years, instead of artisanal arts, cheap (yet not inexpensive) items and stores took over the town. Last year, I noticed artists are beginning to reclaim the town which is a good thing. So, can we talk? If you had to choose, do you prefer landscapes to portraits? Are there any famous artists from your neck of the woods? Is there an art colony near you? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk.

Don’t forget…

If you want to be included in the Style Imitating Art round up, send me your photo by 10:00 EST Tuesday, February 13th (mlrbanks57@gmail.com). Photos of everyone participating will appear on my blog on Wednesday, February 14th!

Thank you!

I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

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Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, and Style Splash. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

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