Otto Stark (1859 - 1926) American Pastel on Paper Measure 9 1/4"in H x 7 1/4"in W and 14"in H x 12"in W with frame Known for: Landscape, figure, genre, portrait Biography: Otto Stark was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1859. Apprenticed to a lithographer, Stark studied at the University of Cincinnati School of Design before moving to New York to work as an illustrator. Further study followed in Paris at the Academie Julian. Stark met with success in Paris, exhibiting twice at the prestigious Salon. Returning to the U.S. with his French wife and daughter, the Starks settled in first in New York, then Philadelphia, where Otto painted and sold illustrations to eastern Publications. When his wife died following the birth of their fourth child, Stark returned to Indiana, where he exhibited with T.C. Steele, Richard Gruelle, and William Forsyth during the 1890's. Needing a steady income for his family, Stark took a number of teaching positions in Indianapolis until he could finally devote himself to painting full-time in 1919. With his children grown, Stark spent a good deal of his time painting with his friend J. Ottis Adams until he suffered a stroke from which he would not recover in 1926.