Olivia
A Philadelphia native, Thomas Eakins blossomed as an artist when he began his formal study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Weinberg). Yet this advance did not occur before the artist had demonstrated significant academic prowess in mathematical and scientific disciplines (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). Perpetuating this interest by pursuing lectures at Jefferson Medical College, Eakins intertwined his quest for the truth with his artistic talent, striving for great authenticity in his realist representations (Weinberg). An appreciation for detail in art accompanied Eakins to Europe, where, like so many American artists of the day, he absorbed the work of bygone masters. In addition to his Beaux-Arts education and his time spent in the studio of Jean-Léon Gérôme, a Parisian artist famed for his painstakingly precise paintings, Eakins journeyed to Spain where he developed an affinity for the pieces of realist virtuosos Velasquez and Ribera (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). Eakins assimilated the stylistic techniques of tight brushwork and a lifelike palette that lent such veracity to European masterpieces. Gleaning guidance on subject matter from the Beaux-Arts practices, Eakins embraced the growing movement that discarded ancient stories and religious folklore in favor of contemporary content. Following his educational years in Europe, Eakins returned to his American hometown with the faculties necessary to imagine both the physical appearances and the emotional undercurrents of a scene.
Resuming the American way of life in the summer of 1870, Eakins again took up the American pastimes he so loved, including rowing and fishing (Encyclopædia Britannica). These outdoor excursions proved potent inspiration for his genre paintings. Eakins found that his increased familiarity with his subject matter heightened his ability to depict the scenes faithfully (Encyclopædia Britannica). The Champion Single Sculls captures the moments after the triumphant victory of Eakins’s personal friend Max Schmitt in an amateur rowing race (Floryan). Yet the image falls far from a turbulent, invigorating action scene. Instead, Schmitt rests his limbs and recovers his breath, his gaze resting on the viewer (Floryan). The clear, reflective qualities of the water, mirroring the trees and sky above, lend a sense of calmness and placidity. The landscape, true to the Schuylkill River and its surroundings, is painted in reserved, almost muted tones, suggesting afternoon light (Floryan). The utter serenity as Schmitt rests alone, surrounded by water, implies the importance of solitude and the introspection that accompanies it.
Beyond his customary rowing and fishing themes, Eakins drew upon his familiarity with the act of studying the human anatomy. In 1875, Eakins completed The Gross Clinic, a portrayal of Samuel Gross, a Jefferson Medical College professor, as he instructs his students in the proper procedure of an amputation (Miller). This mighty undertaking, painted on an eight-foot tall canvas, was intended for the Centennial Exposition (Miller). Eakins charged this gruesome piece with layers of poignant emotion. His work is dark, with a nearly obscured arena of spectators held spellbound by the lecture. The light falls in the central focal point, illuminating the doctor, his assistants, the patient, and the work of the ongoing surgery. As Gross turns from the invalid to relay his work to the audience in a teaching environment, Eakins handles a grim moment pragmatically. This is not a grisly view on the horrors of pain and death but rather a sensible observation of advancement in medical research. The illumination of Gross’s forehead, reflecting the overhead light, is perhaps a comment on his abounding knowledge and the opportunity for enlightenment in the field. Yet, despite the pervasively practical tone, Eakins infuses the piece with instability through the inclusion of the patient’s mother (Miller). Shielding her eyes with the back of her hand, she turns away from the source of her anxiety. Unlike the doctor, the mother is racked by her deep emotions, making her undeniably relatable. Representing two reactions to medicine, the cold, hard science of the human body versus the fear and vulnerability of sickness and pain, Eakins comments on societal patterns. Unfortunately, the Centennial art jury deemed the work far too gory and refused it for the art exhibit, a testament to Eakins’s commitment to realism and the accurate, even if gruesome, depiction of a scene.
From 1887 onward, Eakins focused increasingly on portraiture (Weinberg). This came after a resignation from his teaching position at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in the previous year (The Phillips Collection). He commonly turned to prior acquaintances, both family and friends, as subjects. Amelia Van Buren, in earlier times a student and then friend, became his inspiration in 1891 (The Phillips Collection). She sits in an elaborate armchair, richly garbed and clutching a fan. Yet, in strict opposition to the grandeur of environment, the woman’s posture is hunched and her head, resting upon her fist, implies her thoughts are distant; she is brooding. The light falls on her face so as to illuminate Van Buren’s disengaged expression, drawing attention to her weariness and fatigue. Eakins demands that viewers relate to this woman and her preoccupations, perhaps the weight of a great burden on her shoulders. The artist endeavors to envision his friend not in an idealized manner but in a mode attuned to her true self. Unlike portraits that glorify rigid attitudes, feigned smiles, and grandiose conditions, Eakins lends a natural, believable tone to his piece. And with this realistic portrayal, the artist’s respect and appreciation for the subject is clearly evident. There is no need to camouflage the bona fide Amelia Van Buren, for it is her true self that deserves to be immortalized.
Thomas Eakins’s remarkable talent with the brush promised his success in authentically portraying a scene. Yet his contemporaries discarded his realist approach, and his works went largely unnoticed for many years (Miller). His pieces served as inspiration for the growing ranks of American realists in the early 20th century. The Ashcan School, a distinguished group of New York realists, traced its roots back to the works of Thomas Eakins.
Works Cited
“Eakins the Artist.” 2011. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. 25 February 2013.
< http://www.pafa.org/museum/Research-Archives/Thomas-Eakins/Eakins-the-Artist/79/>.
Floryan, Meg. “Eakins' The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt In A Single Scull).” Smart History. 25 February 2013.
< http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/eakins-the-champion-single-sculls-max-schmitt-in-a-single-scull.html>.
Miller, Angela, et al. American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity. London: Prentice Hall, 2008. 371-375.
“Thomas Eakins (1844–1916): Miss Amelia Van Buren.” The Phillips Collection. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/artwork/Eakins-MissAmelia_VanBuren.htm>.
Weinberg, H. Barbara. "Thomas Eakins (1844–1916): Painting." 2000. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/eapa/hd_eapa.htm>.
Images Cited
Floryan, Meg. “Eakins' The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt In A Single Scull).” Smart History. 25 February 2013.
< http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/eakins-the-champion-single-sculls-max-schmitt-in-a-single-scull.html>.
"Thomas Eakins." 2013. Encyclopædia Britannica. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/175576/Thomas-Eakins>.
“Thomas Eakins (1844–1916): Miss Amelia Van Buren.” The Phillips Collection. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/artwork/Eakins-MissAmelia_VanBuren.htm>.
A Philadelphia native, Thomas Eakins blossomed as an artist when he began his formal study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Weinberg). Yet this advance did not occur before the artist had demonstrated significant academic prowess in mathematical and scientific disciplines (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). Perpetuating this interest by pursuing lectures at Jefferson Medical College, Eakins intertwined his quest for the truth with his artistic talent, striving for great authenticity in his realist representations (Weinberg). An appreciation for detail in art accompanied Eakins to Europe, where, like so many American artists of the day, he absorbed the work of bygone masters. In addition to his Beaux-Arts education and his time spent in the studio of Jean-Léon Gérôme, a Parisian artist famed for his painstakingly precise paintings, Eakins journeyed to Spain where he developed an affinity for the pieces of realist virtuosos Velasquez and Ribera (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts). Eakins assimilated the stylistic techniques of tight brushwork and a lifelike palette that lent such veracity to European masterpieces. Gleaning guidance on subject matter from the Beaux-Arts practices, Eakins embraced the growing movement that discarded ancient stories and religious folklore in favor of contemporary content. Following his educational years in Europe, Eakins returned to his American hometown with the faculties necessary to imagine both the physical appearances and the emotional undercurrents of a scene.
Resuming the American way of life in the summer of 1870, Eakins again took up the American pastimes he so loved, including rowing and fishing (Encyclopædia Britannica). These outdoor excursions proved potent inspiration for his genre paintings. Eakins found that his increased familiarity with his subject matter heightened his ability to depict the scenes faithfully (Encyclopædia Britannica). The Champion Single Sculls captures the moments after the triumphant victory of Eakins’s personal friend Max Schmitt in an amateur rowing race (Floryan). Yet the image falls far from a turbulent, invigorating action scene. Instead, Schmitt rests his limbs and recovers his breath, his gaze resting on the viewer (Floryan). The clear, reflective qualities of the water, mirroring the trees and sky above, lend a sense of calmness and placidity. The landscape, true to the Schuylkill River and its surroundings, is painted in reserved, almost muted tones, suggesting afternoon light (Floryan). The utter serenity as Schmitt rests alone, surrounded by water, implies the importance of solitude and the introspection that accompanies it.
Beyond his customary rowing and fishing themes, Eakins drew upon his familiarity with the act of studying the human anatomy. In 1875, Eakins completed The Gross Clinic, a portrayal of Samuel Gross, a Jefferson Medical College professor, as he instructs his students in the proper procedure of an amputation (Miller). This mighty undertaking, painted on an eight-foot tall canvas, was intended for the Centennial Exposition (Miller). Eakins charged this gruesome piece with layers of poignant emotion. His work is dark, with a nearly obscured arena of spectators held spellbound by the lecture. The light falls in the central focal point, illuminating the doctor, his assistants, the patient, and the work of the ongoing surgery. As Gross turns from the invalid to relay his work to the audience in a teaching environment, Eakins handles a grim moment pragmatically. This is not a grisly view on the horrors of pain and death but rather a sensible observation of advancement in medical research. The illumination of Gross’s forehead, reflecting the overhead light, is perhaps a comment on his abounding knowledge and the opportunity for enlightenment in the field. Yet, despite the pervasively practical tone, Eakins infuses the piece with instability through the inclusion of the patient’s mother (Miller). Shielding her eyes with the back of her hand, she turns away from the source of her anxiety. Unlike the doctor, the mother is racked by her deep emotions, making her undeniably relatable. Representing two reactions to medicine, the cold, hard science of the human body versus the fear and vulnerability of sickness and pain, Eakins comments on societal patterns. Unfortunately, the Centennial art jury deemed the work far too gory and refused it for the art exhibit, a testament to Eakins’s commitment to realism and the accurate, even if gruesome, depiction of a scene.
From 1887 onward, Eakins focused increasingly on portraiture (Weinberg). This came after a resignation from his teaching position at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in the previous year (The Phillips Collection). He commonly turned to prior acquaintances, both family and friends, as subjects. Amelia Van Buren, in earlier times a student and then friend, became his inspiration in 1891 (The Phillips Collection). She sits in an elaborate armchair, richly garbed and clutching a fan. Yet, in strict opposition to the grandeur of environment, the woman’s posture is hunched and her head, resting upon her fist, implies her thoughts are distant; she is brooding. The light falls on her face so as to illuminate Van Buren’s disengaged expression, drawing attention to her weariness and fatigue. Eakins demands that viewers relate to this woman and her preoccupations, perhaps the weight of a great burden on her shoulders. The artist endeavors to envision his friend not in an idealized manner but in a mode attuned to her true self. Unlike portraits that glorify rigid attitudes, feigned smiles, and grandiose conditions, Eakins lends a natural, believable tone to his piece. And with this realistic portrayal, the artist’s respect and appreciation for the subject is clearly evident. There is no need to camouflage the bona fide Amelia Van Buren, for it is her true self that deserves to be immortalized.
Thomas Eakins’s remarkable talent with the brush promised his success in authentically portraying a scene. Yet his contemporaries discarded his realist approach, and his works went largely unnoticed for many years (Miller). His pieces served as inspiration for the growing ranks of American realists in the early 20th century. The Ashcan School, a distinguished group of New York realists, traced its roots back to the works of Thomas Eakins.
Works Cited
“Eakins the Artist.” 2011. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. 25 February 2013.
< http://www.pafa.org/museum/Research-Archives/Thomas-Eakins/Eakins-the-Artist/79/>.
Floryan, Meg. “Eakins' The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt In A Single Scull).” Smart History. 25 February 2013.
< http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/eakins-the-champion-single-sculls-max-schmitt-in-a-single-scull.html>.
Miller, Angela, et al. American Encounters: Art, History, and Cultural Identity. London: Prentice Hall, 2008. 371-375.
“Thomas Eakins (1844–1916): Miss Amelia Van Buren.” The Phillips Collection. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/artwork/Eakins-MissAmelia_VanBuren.htm>.
Weinberg, H. Barbara. "Thomas Eakins (1844–1916): Painting." 2000. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/eapa/hd_eapa.htm>.
Images Cited
Floryan, Meg. “Eakins' The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt In A Single Scull).” Smart History. 25 February 2013.
< http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/eakins-the-champion-single-sculls-max-schmitt-in-a-single-scull.html>.
"Thomas Eakins." 2013. Encyclopædia Britannica. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/175576/Thomas-Eakins>.
“Thomas Eakins (1844–1916): Miss Amelia Van Buren.” The Phillips Collection. 25 February 2013.
<http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/artwork/Eakins-MissAmelia_VanBuren.htm>.