Education

Charles Beck at Concordia

Beck majored in art, which is where he met Cyrus M. Running, head of art department at the time. This is where he received his first formal art training, and while he was resistant at first to things like composition and color, Running was encouraging [1]. He joined the Concordia football team his sophomore year. His education was interrupted in 1942 when WW2 caused him to enlist in the Navy Air Corp. He was active duty but the war ended before he would ever be deployed. After his service, he returned to Concordia's art program in the fall of 1946 and continued to play sports like basketball and football, and was even football captain his senior year. Beck and Running formed a close bond and would often venture out to the country to sketch what they saw, and returned to campus to paint the scenic views. This solidified Beck’s love of landscapes and nature inspired work.  

Running encouraged him to continue his schooling, so he attended the University of Iowa for art. He continued his focus on landscapes and graduate with his MA in Fine Arts. In 1953, “Beck enrolled at the University of Minnesota and studied under Cameron Booth, Walter Quirt and Malcolm Meyers. It was during this time that Beck was introduced to woodblock printing and when he completed his first print, Holy Family” [2]. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Concordia college in 1979 [3].

1. Sharpe, "Charles Beck : The Nature of an Artist"

2. Kaddatz Galleries, "THE LEGACY OF CHARLES BECK"

3. Concordian, 1979