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Thomas Eakins (1844-1916)

Born in Philadelphia on July 25, 1844, Thomas Eakins studied drawing at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1862 to 1866 and concurrently studied two years of anatomy at Jefferson Medical College. This study of anatomy led to a lifelong passion for scientific realism.

Thomas Eakins is now regarded as one of America's foremost realists of 19th century painting, but it did not begin that way. His paintings were strongly influenced by his scientific study of the human form and his commitment to perfect pictorial representation. To him, the human body was the most beautiful thing in the world -- not the body as an object of romance or as a set of proportions, but as a construction of bone and muscle. He was never interested in a fast track or instant capture, but in a total reality where every part of the body served and depended upon every other part. He described this as "an expression of every part of the body as a working part of a perfectly integrated structure." And his subjects were most often involved in simple, everyday activities, again lacking in the idealistic looks so popular with critics and the public as Eakins built his career.

This profound realism coupled with strong scientific clarity was not well accepted by a public that was more accustomed to the subtlety of natural landscape paintings, especially the work of the Hudson River School. He was often the butt of artistic controversy for his realism as well as his unwavering devotion to this style. Indeed, imagine if his critics were aware of a recent revelation: Eakins concealed the fact that during the 1870's and 80's he often relied on projected images and traced photographs to make paintings and watercolors!

Eakins also practiced photography, and he used his images not only as studies for paintings but also as artworks that stood on their own. He carefully printed the best images on platinum paper, often changing the format or cropping to create the perfect balance of subject and background. Even though this seems elementary today, it was considered manipulation of the media during this time. As in his other creative work, Eakins had specific goals with everything he did. In 1866, after attending the Pennsylvania Academy of Art, Eakins ventured to Paris to study under master painters and sculptors. His love of Rembrandt and the way he used the element of light had a lifelong effect on Eakins' work. Before his return to the United States in 1870, he also visited Spain and saw the work of Diego Velazquez and Jusepe de Ribera. Their sharp realistic styles, the psychological impact of their work and their use of light excited him. All these elements had a profound impact on the young American painter and added dimension to his work.

In 1876 Eakins returned to The Pennsylvania Academy and began teaching, but he became uneasy with the methods of teaching. He abhorred the use of cold, lifeless statues for teaching body structure and took it upon himself to revamp the teaching process. Eakins implemented a study not only of anatomy from an artistic approach, but also through the use of dissection as scientific perspective, revolutionizing the way art was taught in America. Although dissection is no longer a part of art education, the fundamentals of anatomy are taught today in all major art institutes.

With his keen ability to inspire, Eakins built a following of students, devoted to all the principles he followed. But despite his love of teaching, his determination and excellence and the following of devotees, Eakins was dismissed in 1886. This termination dealt with the sensational events resulting from the use of nude male models in a life drawing class attended by women.

During the latter part of his career, Eakins began to stray from scientific interests and was preoccupied with psychology and personality. His work was primarily portraiture, concentrating on domestic scenes and images of friends, scientists, musicians, artists and clergymen. When a subject was involved in any sort of motion, Eakins was meticulous with the anatomy. As always, these works show his extreme realism and near sculptural sense of form, most obvious in the sitters' heads, bodies and hands. He is best known for these portraits, done near the end of his painting career. They exemplify him as one of the finest 20th century American painters. It was said that Eakins "drove a wedge between expectations and reality, making the viewers aware of the differences between artistic convention and 'new' art."

Although none of his paintings brought him financial or popular success, Thomas Eakins had a very strong influence as a painter, a photographer and a teacher on the course of American realism. His vision, techniques and methods were well ahead of his time. His dedication to the foundation of a working knowledge of human anatomy influenced painters as to the importance of realism of form. He was also the first major artist after the American Civil War to produce a body of work that was drawn entirely from the experience of American life.

Thomas Eakins is on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City through September 15. This exhibition displays more than 150 works in all media from institutions nationwide, reveals recent scholarly discoveries about his intentions and methods, and introduces a new generation to the full range of his accomplishments.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 12 No. 10 -- August 2002