Charles T. Phelan was born in New York in 1840. Landscape painter, pupil of Frederick Rondel (1826-1892) who was best remembered as the teacher of Winslow Homer. 

By 1870, Phelan was painting with Rondel in Poughkeepsie, NY. In quite few of these isolated, but substantial cities along the Hudson River groups of artists flourished. Despite their intermittent participation in the New York art world they would still remain somewhat unknown.  His almost impressionistic style mixed with the luministic approach captured the spontaneity of the moment, like a storm moving toward the front of his canvas. He seems to have been at the cutting edge of what would be called the modified Hudson River School naturalism.

He started exhibiting at the National Academy of Design in 1880. He had two entries that year, “Brook in Ulster Co.” and “Storm and Sheep”. For the next two years he exhibited at the Academy. Atmospheric landscapes with sheep became the main subject for his paintings.

Listed:

The New York Historical Society, Dictionary of Artist in America

Cyclopedia of Painters and Paintings, vol. III

Havlice, “Index to Artistic Biography” vol. II, p. 977

Thieme / Becker, “Allgemeines Lexikon Der Bildenden Künstler”, v. 25/26, p. 540

E. Benezit, “Dictionaire Des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs”, v. 8 p. 280

Exhibited:

National Academy of Design, New York City, 1880-1882