Raymond Steth facts for kids

Raymond Steth (1917 – 1997) was an American artist. He was born Raymond Ryles. Steth lived and worked in Philadelphia. He was known for his paintings and lithographs. These artworks often showed the lives of African Americans in the mid-1900s. He often painted scenes of farm life and people facing hardship.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Steth worked for the Works Progress Administration. This was a government program that helped artists. His art explored many feelings and topics. He painted happy farm scenes. He also showed themes of protest and sadness.

Early Life of Raymond Steth

Raymond Steth was born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1917. His parents were Lulu Mann and Charles Ryles. They were a working-class farming family. Raymond spent much of his childhood on a large farm. This farm was in North Carolina. His experiences there later inspired his artwork.

A writer named Rolando Corpus noted Steth's religious background. Steth grew up in the Pentecostal faith. He remembered the church as a very lively place. He felt everyone there seemed ready for heaven.

When he was eight years old, Steth moved to Philadelphia. He went to Central High School for two years. After school, he worked in sign painting. He also worked in vaudeville theater. Steth later studied art. He attended the Philadelphia College of Art from 1941 to 1943. He also studied at the Barnes Foundation from 1942 to 1944.

Raymond Steth's Art Career

Steth was part of the American Scene art movement. Artists in this movement painted about everyday American life. Many of these artists worked for the WPA. They focused on important social topics of their time.

Steth started working for the Federal Art Project (FAP) in Philadelphia in 1938. The FAP was part of the WPA. He worked in the graphics division. There, he met another artist named Dox Thrash. Thrash was famous for new ways of making prints. He thought Steth's paintings would look great as prints.

Steth also worked with other artists. These included Michael J. Gallagher, John Turner, and Claude Clark. They often showed their art together. Steth and Clark even shared an art studio. He also knew artists like Hubert Mesibov and Samuel Brown.

After his time with the WPA and serving in the military, Steth kept working in art. He also helped with community projects. He led the Philographic School of Art. This was a workshop for printmaking and graphics. He also helped start a print program at Morgan State College. This college is in Baltimore.

Steth was involved with the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial. He was there from 1948 to 1954. He also taught at the Philadelphia College of Art. He taught there from 1949 to 1951. Later, he was an artist-in-residence at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Raymond Steth passed away in 1997.

His artworks are held in major museums. These include the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His art is also at the National Gallery of Art. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts also has his work.

In 2015, his art was shown in an exhibition. The exhibition was called We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s. It was held at the Woodmere Art Museum.