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Theodore Lukits
(1897-1992)
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Born in Temesvar, Hungary on November 26, 1897. Lukits came to the United States in 1898 and, at age nine, he studied at Washington University and later at the Art Institute of Chicago and privately with W. Reynolds, H. Walcott, R. Miller, and Alphonse Mucha. While painting a portrait of the silent film star, Theda Bara, Lukits was encouraged by the actress to move to Los Angeles and paint portraits of Hollywood celebrities. Lukits decided to accept Miss Bara’s advice and moved from Chicago to southern California in 1922, following a similar path that had been trod by other noted painters, including William Wendt (1865-1946), Joseph Kleitsch (1885-1931), and George Demont Otis (1879-1962). Shortly after his arrival, the Lukits Academy of Fine Art was established.
In Los Angeles, Lukits continued creating illustrations and commercial work as he built a following for his portrait and still-life paintings. Like many other painters who had moved to California, Lukits was fascinated by what he described as “that California light” and embarked on a series of sketching trips that took him throughout California and Arizona. When he worked en plein-air, Lukits preferred the portability of the pastel medium compared to that of oils favored by most plein air painters used. Lukits was a well-trained and astute draftsman as well as a brilliant colorist and fastidious craftsman. He ground his own paints, made his own pastels, created customized palettes, crafted his own brushes, and carved and gilded his own frames.
While many of the American Impressionist painters used pastels out-of-doors, none used the medium as proficiently as Lukits. Because pastels were lightweight and required no set-up time, they were ideal for the high-altitude locations and ephemeral conditions of light that Lukits favored. He also believed that the unique vibrant quality of the pastel medium was ideally suited to expressing the early morning, late afternoon, and evening moods that captivated him.
By teaching for more than 60 years, he made a lasting contribution to the dissemination of the ideals and techniques of 19th century French ateliers and academies and for 65 years he has continued to train some of our finest and most successful artists.
Member: California Art Club; International Art Club, LA; AAPL; Society of Professional Portait Painters (Pres.); American Academy of FA, LA; LAAA; Academy of Western Painters; AFA; International Fine Arts Council, Washington, D.C.; Painters & Sculptors of LA; Artists of the SW.
Exhibited: Paris, Mexico, Chicago, LA.
Awards: Dozens from 1916.
Works held: Jonathan Club, LA; Pittsburgh Press Association; Edgewater Beach Club, Santa Monica.
Sources: Hughes, Edan M. Artists In California 1786-1940. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Sacramento: Crocker, Art Museum, 2002. N. pag. 2 vols. Print
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