LeConte Stewart
Encyclopedia
LeConte Stewart was a Mormon
artist primarily known for his landscape
s of rural Utah
. His media
included oils, watercolors, pastel and charcoal, as well as etchings, linocuts, and lithographs. His home/studio in Kaysville, Utah
is on the National Register of Historic Places
.
. His art education began in 1912 at the University of Utah
, and included studies at the Art Students League
summer school at Woodstock, New York, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
in Chester Springs. Stewart became the head of the Art Department at the University of Utah
in 1938, and held that post until his retirement in 1956. Stewart died in Kaysville, Utah
at the age of 99.
Much of his work uses direct impressionistic
techniques to convey the meaning of what he saw around him, illustrating things "...that are introspective, that you peer into, that you understand and feel." Stewart stated: "Impressionism is the most important painting innovation of all time....I thought to myself, why not use this technique to express an idea rather than making it the end goal of a painting? I have tried to think of it as a means of interpreting landscaping rather than making it merely impressionistic."
Stewart described himself as having an urgency in his work. A plaque in the Kaysville Gallery of Art reads: "I had a great urgency to work as rapidly as possible. Each Saturday I painted one large 24-by-30-inch picture in the morning and another in the afternoon. Between I painted four smaller studies. Six was an average Saturday for me."
In addition to landscapes, Stewart also did portraiture and murals. He painted several murals for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) buildings, including works found inside the LDS temples
in Hawaii
, Alberta
, and Arizona
, as well as murals for the Salt Lake City International Airport
and the historic Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel
.
The largest public exhibition of LeConte Stewart's work to date began in Salt Lake City on 21 July 2011 and is scheduled to run to 15 January 2012. It is being jointly hosted by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts
and the LDS Church History Museum, with concurrent shows at these museum's individual locations. This is the first collaboration of this kind for these institutions; each hold significant amount of fine art by Utah artists.
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
artist primarily known for his landscape
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
s of rural Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. His media
Media (arts)
In the arts, a media or medium is a material used by an artist or designer to create a work.-Architecture:In the art and science of architecture, the design and construction of buildings and interiors, infrastructure and other physical structures are created...
included oils, watercolors, pastel and charcoal, as well as etchings, linocuts, and lithographs. His home/studio in Kaysville, Utah
Kaysville, Utah
Kaysville is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 20,351 at the 2000 census, and 25,820 as of the 2008 estimates.-History:...
is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Personal life
Stewart was born in Glenwood, UtahGlenwood, Utah
Glenwood is a town in Sevier County, Utah, United States. The population was 437 at the 2000 census.- History :Glenwood was established in 1863 by Mormon pioneers. It was named for an early pioneer, Robert Wilson Glenn...
. His art education began in 1912 at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, and included studies at the Art Students League
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
summer school at Woodstock, New York, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
in Chester Springs. Stewart became the head of the Art Department at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1938, and held that post until his retirement in 1956. Stewart died in Kaysville, Utah
Kaysville, Utah
Kaysville is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 20,351 at the 2000 census, and 25,820 as of the 2008 estimates.-History:...
at the age of 99.
Work
Stewart is best known for his unidealized landscapes of rural Utah, spawning the term "LeConte Stewart Country." Stewart is quoted as saying, "It is not that I love the lyrical in nature the less, but I feel that in modern life there is no time, no inclination for it. In these pictures I'm trying to cut a slice of contemporary life as it is in the highways and biways as I have found it." Some of Stewart's paintings have a photographic quality from a distance but are actually formed with broad strokes and a thick palette.Much of his work uses direct impressionistic
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
techniques to convey the meaning of what he saw around him, illustrating things "...that are introspective, that you peer into, that you understand and feel." Stewart stated: "Impressionism is the most important painting innovation of all time....I thought to myself, why not use this technique to express an idea rather than making it the end goal of a painting? I have tried to think of it as a means of interpreting landscaping rather than making it merely impressionistic."
Stewart described himself as having an urgency in his work. A plaque in the Kaysville Gallery of Art reads: "I had a great urgency to work as rapidly as possible. Each Saturday I painted one large 24-by-30-inch picture in the morning and another in the afternoon. Between I painted four smaller studies. Six was an average Saturday for me."
In addition to landscapes, Stewart also did portraiture and murals. He painted several murals for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) buildings, including works found inside the LDS temples
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
in Hawaii
Laie Hawaii Temple
Laie Hawaii Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on the northeast shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The temple sits on a small hill a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean in the town of Lāie, from Honolulu...
, Alberta
Cardston Alberta Temple
The Cardston Alberta Temple is the eighth constructed and sixth operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in Cardston, Alberta, it is the oldest LDS temple outside the United States. It is one of eight temples that do not have an angel Moroni statue, and one of...
, and Arizona
Mesa Arizona Temple
The Mesa Arizona Temple is the seventh operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Mesa, Arizona, it is the first of five LDS temples built or planned in the state.-History:...
, as well as murals for the Salt Lake City International Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district...
and the historic Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel
Bigelow-Ben Lomond Hotel
The Bigelow Hotel is a historic hotel located at 2510 Washington Blvd. in Ogden, Utah, United States. It has also been known as the Ben Lomond Hotel, Radisson Hotel and Ben Lomond Historic Suite Hotel. It was added to the National Register in 1990...
.
Legacy
In 1985 the LDS Church published a collectors item titled LeConte Stewart: The spirit of landscape by Robert Davis, which documented some of his works. 7 November 2002 was declared as "LeConte Stewart Day" in Utah by then Governor Mike Leavitt.The largest public exhibition of LeConte Stewart's work to date began in Salt Lake City on 21 July 2011 and is scheduled to run to 15 January 2012. It is being jointly hosted by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Utah Museum of Fine Arts
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is Utah's primary resource for culture and visual arts. It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah on the University of Utah campus near Rice–Eccles Stadium. Works of art are displayed on a rotating basis. It is a university and state art museum...
and the LDS Church History Museum, with concurrent shows at these museum's individual locations. This is the first collaboration of this kind for these institutions; each hold significant amount of fine art by Utah artists.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Davis County, UtahNational Register of Historic Places listings in Davis County, UtahThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Davis County, Utah.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Davis County, Utah, United States...
- Springville Museum of ArtSpringville Museum of ArtThe Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah is the oldest museum in Utah for the visual fine arts. Completed in 1937, this building was designed in the style of the Spanish Colonial Revival style by Claud S. Ashworth. It was dedicated by LDS Apostle David O...
External links
- LeConte Stewart: Depression Era Art, Utah Museum of Fine ArtsUtah Museum of Fine ArtsThe Utah Museum of Fine Arts is Utah's primary resource for culture and visual arts. It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah on the University of Utah campus near Rice–Eccles Stadium. Works of art are displayed on a rotating basis. It is a university and state art museum...
(UMFA) - one of the two web based companions to the joint UMFA-Church History Museum exhibitions from 21 July 2011 - 15 January 2012 - LeConte Stewart: The Soul of Rural Utah, Church History Museum, LDS Church - second web based companion to the joint UMFA-Church History Museum exhibitions from 21 July 2011 - 15 January 2012
- The LeConte Stewart Papers held at the J. Willard Marriott LibraryJ. Willard Marriott LibraryJ. Willard Marriott Library is the library of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was named for J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott International. The library building is over and houses over 3 million volumes. The University of Utah Press is a division of the Marriott...
, University of UtahUniversity of UtahThe University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest... - Kaysville Gallery of Art, LeConte Stewart Collection is part of the library in the old city hall building. -- Some examples of Stewart's work
- A few more examples of his work from Christian Nielsen
- Self Portrait located in the Church History Museum of the LDS Church
- Photo of Stewart later in life from the Utah State Historical Society
- LeConte Stewart - a 2nd grade lesson plan about local Kaysville heritage
- Works from the Permanent Collection of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts