Artist Spotlight: John Alexander Steele

Steele attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1949 after the height of the second world war. After his time as a student, he took inspiration from European avant-garde, a genre of art that rejected the social ideologies of the time and flirted with experimentation and innovation.

Subsequent to creating his pieces titled "Nude" and "Frogs on Leaves," he won prizes at the Art Institute's annual show "Exhibition Momentum," an event that also exhibited works from Golub, Spero, and June Leaf.

In his later years, he did careful studies into the natural world, creating works such as "Blue Irises" and "Fountain, Sunken Garden." Steele's reverence for his surroundings is beautifully reflected onto canvas, bringing wonder and curiosity to those who indulge. 

"Green Plate with Fruit and Tea" - Original Painting on Canvas by John Alexander Steele

Gathering influences from avant-garde artists such as Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, and Anni Albers, John Alexander Steele expressed the beauty of nature through his reverently created pieces, experimenting on form and taking inspiration from the natural world. With his subjects being everyday items, Steele took delight in creating art that reflected the respect he had for the mundane. 

From abstract painting stimulated by the Washington Color Painters to personal expressions of the world around him, he wholly expressed the full spectrum of the world of art throughout his career as an artist.

"Fruit on Palette" - Original Painting on Canvas by John Alexander Steele

View our collection of John Alexander Steele works here.