Theodore N. Lukits

California Stormy Sky, c. 1924

• Pastel
• 11" x 15", artwork
• 25.875" x 30" x 2.5", framed
• Historic

$8,500

Provenance
Acquired by American Legacy Fine Arts in 2014; From Pasadena Antiques and Design who acquired the painting circa 2012; From a private Los Angeles collector who acquired the work, circa 1970s; From the artist.

Description
Signed “Lukits – H.C.” at the lower left, this evocative pastel captures the dramatic interplay of light and atmosphere over California’s varied terrain, as storm clouds sweep across the horizon. The “H.C.” inscription is the French abbreviation for Hors Concours, signifying that Lukits’ work was recognized as being above contest and therefore not eligible to compete for prizes — a distinction typically reserved for highly accomplished artists.

Created en plein air during Lukits’ two-year exploration of the American Southwest (1922–1924), shortly after his move from Chicago to California, the work reflects the freshness and immediacy of direct observation. In California Stormy Sky, Theodore N. Lukits captures the drama and fleeting intensity of a storm breaking over the California landscape. Heavy, layered clouds sweep across the horizon, their deep grays and violets contrasting with pockets of soft light that break through to illuminate the rolling hills below. Using his signature pastel technique—combining luminous color harmonies with confident, painterly strokes—Lukits conveys both the grandeur and the atmospheric nuance of the Golden State’s ever-changing skies. The work is at once bold in composition and subtle in tonal gradations, offering the viewer a sense of immediacy as if the scene might shift in the next moment.

Historical Significance
Created during the height of the California Impressionist movement, California Stormy Sky reflects Lukits’ mastery in plein air-inspired pastel work. In the early 1920s, Lukits frequently explored California’s varied landscapes, producing on-site studies that captured the state’s unique light and atmosphere. His pastel paintings from this period are now recognized as key contributions to the movement, blending the European academic tradition he honed at the Art Institute of Chicago with the vibrant colorism of California plein air painting. This storm scene exemplifies his ability to merge traditional draftsmanship with a modern, expressive palette, preserving a visual record of California’s natural beauty in the early 20th century.

Framing
Presented in a finely hand-carved gilt frame of the period, with clean, sculptural detailing that enhances the pastel’s dramatic tonal contrasts. The work is archivally mounted with a silk mat and protected under museum-quality glazing for exceptional clarity and long-term preservation.

Condition
Excellent condition. The pastel surface is stable, with no visible fading or losses. Colors remain rich and vibrant. The work has been well cared for throughout its history and is archivally framed to conservation standards.

Essay by Gail Phinney, Curator, Palos Verdes Art Center
Theodore Nikolai Lukits (1897-1992) is an artist as notable for the early 20th century legends who inspired him, as for the legacy of his own illustrious teaching career. Born in Transylvania, he immigrated with his parents to the United States and studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago. A champion of the Beaux-Arts academic style, Lukits’ work also reflects the diverse influences of his instructors and mentors; among them Social Realists Robert Henri and George Bellows, William Victor Higgins of the Taos Ten, Czech Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha, and American Impressionist Karl Albert Buehr. It was Buehr, a member of the Giverny colony of ex-patriots studying under the tutelage of Claude Monet, who inspired Lukits to apply the science of color to capturing the transient beauty of light and atmosphere on the landscape.

Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992): An Aesthetic Realist features the pastel plein air landscapes created by the artist on numerous sketching trips throughout the Southwest from 1923 through the 1970s. Following his move to California in 1922, Lukits became enamored of the rugged landscape and his prolific output of sketches showcases his mastery of the pastel medium that enabled him to depict luminous atmospheric conditions and brilliant light throughout the day. Dissatisfied with the limited spectrum of commercial pastels, Lukits learned to make his own pastels in the hues and values he desired. Informal, loosely executed, and largely untitled and undated, these sketches were never exhibited during the artist’s lifetime.  Nonetheless, they provide insight into his commitment to faithfully portray truth and beauty through work that aligns him ideologically with the 19^th century Aesthetic Movement and the artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Lukits shared this aesthete's fascination with the Far East, as exemplified in his Orientalist still life Buddha and Tiffany Glass and the dramatic costume portrait Peking Opera.

Lukits infused his philosophical beliefs into a rigorous course of academic training at the Lukits Academy in Los Angeles that opened in early 1924 and continued until the artist’s retirement at age ninety. Over those sixty years, he mentored a new generation of plein air painters. Continuing the Lukits Legacy showcases the work of two of his most prominent students, California Art Club members Peter Adams and Tim Solliday. Peter Adams states, “Growing up in the latter half of the twentieth century, the era of abstract expressionism and relativism, my life radically changed when I met Theodore Lukits. His lifestyle, his working habits, and his philosophy of aesthetics opened my eyes to a new world rich in beauty, meaning, and purpose.”

We thank our partners American Legacy Fine Arts, Peter and Elaine Adams, Jonathan Art Foundation, and California Art Club for the loan of this work, and are indebted to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the Historical Collections Council of California Art for their generous support of this exhibition.

Exhibited
Scenic Route: A Half Century of California Discovery, 1900-1950, American Legacy Fine Arts, Pasadena, California, August 15 - October 11, 2025

"Theodore N. Lukits (1897-1992): An Aesthetic Realist and Peter Adams and Tim Solliday: Continuing the Lukits Legacy" at Palos Verdes Art Center, Palos Verdes, California, January 14 - March 6, 2016.

 

 

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