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| Theodore Lukits began painting still lifes early in his career, and in the 1960s and 1970s - the last decades that he exhibited with galleries - the majority of his artistic production was still lifes. Although Lukits did use conventional objects for his paintings, the overwhelming majority were “moody” depictions of Asian antiques. He had developed an interest in Asian Art and began collecting Asian antiques in his teenage years, while he was still a student at the Art Institute of Chicago. Lukits’ Asian still lifes featured a simple yet elegant arrangement of objects that had a symbolic value. Buddhists and Daoists revered the Guanyin figures that appear in many of his compositions as the goddess of mercy. He would often pose a Guanyin against a contrasting object like a golden plate or translucent and then place delicate smaller objects – a peacock feather or string of pearls – in the foreground. Lukits collected Tang Dynasty horses and these also make frequent appearance in his paintings. The lotus blossom, a symbol of purity because it grows out of the muck and mud and reaches for enlightenment from the sun, appears in many of Lukits’ Asian still lifes, as do plum or cherry blossoms. Like most of Lukits’ studio works, his still lifes have a dominant color key that sets the mood for the painting and he often bathes the objects in a colored light in order to achieve the romantic quality he is after. His still lifes are often compared to those of the Armenian artist Housep Pushman (1877-1966), who was known for his smoky, atmospheric Asian-themed still lifes. Lukits did know the older artist in Chicago as he was said to have tutored Pushman’s nephew in art. However, what influence – if any – Pushman exerted on Lukits’ interest in Asian still lifes is unknown. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| TNL 645, Oil on Panel, 24" x 18" "Juanyin and Plum Blossoms" (Circa 1940, Private Collection) |
TNL 569, Oil on Board, 36" x 22" "Oriental Still Life" (Circa 1928, Private Collection) |
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| TNL 403, Oil on Panel, 28" x 22" "Dynasty" (Circa 1964, Collection, Lukits Art Trust) |
TNL 394, Pastel on Paper, 27 1/2" x 22" "Madonna and Child Still Life" (Circa 1956, Private Collection) |