Steck paints literary and historical scenes, such as his famous Ophelia (circa 1895), inspired by Shakespeare, as well as poetic cityscapes, such as Le quai de la Paille in Bruges, and decorative compositions for institutions and exhibitions.

rom 1903 to 1912, he taught decorative composition at the École nationale des arts industriels in Roubaix. He then became deputy director of the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, then general inspectorof applied arts.

His style is rooted in the classical tradition: balanced compositions, precise modeling, soft light. But beyond academicism, his work reveals a modern sensibility, attentive to light, atmosphere and the melancholic feeling that permeates his subjects. Steck belongs to that generation of painters at the end of the XIXᵉ century who, without breaking with tradition, introduced a new emotion into figurative art.

His work is now held in a number of public collections, including the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de la Ville de Paris.