Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) is one of the most fascinating and important personalities in the history of American art. His memorable and much-loved scenes of rowing, sailing, and boxing as well as his deeply moving portraits are renowned for their vibrant realism and dramatic intensity. This beautiful and insightful book, published in conjunction with a major exhibition on the life and career of Eakins--the first in twenty years--presents a fresh perspective on the artist and his remarkable accomplishments. Lavishly illustrated with more than 250 of Eakins's most significant paintings, watercolors, drawings, and sculpture, the book features essays by prominent scholars who place his art in the context of the history and culture of late nineteenth- century Philadelphia, where he lived. The contributors also discuss how Eakins applied his French academic training to subjects that were distinctly American and part of his own immediate and complex experience. Eakins's own photographs, which he used as part of his unique creative process, are also examined for the first time in the full context of his life's work.
Thomas Eakins: The Absolute Male
Often criticized during his lifetime for his insistence on studying and painting the male nude, accomplished draftsman, anatomist, and artist Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) is now acclaimed as one of America's greatest realist painters. Eakins believed in a classical approach to art, and made no compromises with the mores of his time. His insistence on having female students draw from live male nude models caused him to be dismissed from one important teaching post and created a storm of controversy which substantially hurt his career. Only at the end of his life was his work fully recognized as equal to that of some of the great European old masters. Taken from collections across the globe, this book features a stunning collection of drawings, paintings, and photographs of Eakins's male nudes, which showcase the artist's immense and still influential skill in rendering the male form.