One of the most significant artists in American art history, Thomas Eakins was an American realist painter. In addition, he was a renowned photographer who is credited with having “introduced the camera to the American art studio” after studying abroad and becoming familiar with French realist photographers’ methods. He had painted hundreds of realistic portraits, most of them of his friends, family, or well-known figures, and was best recognized for them as a painter. His paintings of scenes from outdoor activities like swimming and boating made him famous as well. He was the son of a calligraphy instructor and grew up watching his father at work, showing a propensity for artistic endeavors. He was a talented mechanical artist when he was a student, and after graduating, he traveled to Europe to study painting with French realism Jean-Léon Gérôme and at the École des Beaux-Arts. He became aware of his infatuation with the naked female form and his interest in realism while he studied. After arriving back in Europe, he painted a lot and had some success. He also started a career as a fine arts educator, and at the time, his methods of instruction were viewed as controversial. He eventually had to quit his work as a teacher. He was not a well-known artist during his lifetime, but in the years after his passing, he came to be regarded as one of the greatest in the history of American painting.
Early Childhood & Life
Benjamin and Caroline Cowperthwait Eakins welcomed their first child, Thomas, on July 25, 1844, in Philadelphia. He has a mixture of ancestries. His father was a highly successful professional who worked as a writing master and calligraphy instructor.
Thomas developed into an active young man who loved gymnastics, wrestling, sailing, and ice skating. He also had an early love of the arts.
He excelled at mechanical drawing while he was a student at Central High School. In 1861, he finally enrolled in Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he studied anatomy and sketching. In order to further his interest in human anatomy, he took anatomy and dissection classes at Jefferson Medical College from 1864 to 1865.
Before enrolling in the Léon Bonnat workshop, he traveled to Europe in 1866 and studied with French realist painter Jean-Léon Gérôme. Additionally, he attended the École des Beaux-Arts. During his time in Europe, he realized how fascinated he was with the naked female figure, which he saw as one of nature’s most creative creations.
He traveled to Spain in late 1869 after completing his studies in Paris, where he was deeply moved by the works of Diego Velázquez and José de Ribera from the 17th century. His first independent oil painting endeavors were started in Spain.
After returning from Europe, Thomas Eakins started a career as a professional painter. In order to express his passion for athletics, he produced numerous paintings of rowing scenes, the most well-known of which is “The Champion Single Sculling,” also known as “Max Schmitt in a Single Scull” (1871).
He also started painting portraits of individuals in the early 1870s, initially using his sisters and other family members as his models. Additionally, he painted several depictions of Katherine Crowell, his future bride, and her family. His depictions of young girls playing the piano, kids playing with toys, and a girl playing with a kitten on her lap all radiated the coziness of a warm, loving family.
‘Home Scene’ (1871), ‘Elizabeth at the Piano’ (1875), ‘The Chess Players’ (1876), and ‘Elizabeth Crowell and her Dog’ (1874) are only a few of the significant works he produced in the 1870s.
Thomas Eakins continued to pursue his love of sports as a young man, including hunting, sailing, fishing, swimming, and rowing, which not only offered him adventure but also served as inspiration for his artwork.
He was not only a painter but also a fine arts instructor. In 1876, he started teaching as a volunteer at the Pennsylvania Academy, and in 1878, he was hired as a full-time professor. He soon advanced through the ranks, and in 1882 he was named director.
Eakins was a talented photographer as well, and is credited with “bringing the camera into the American art studio.” In 1880, he bought his own camera, and many of his works, such as “Mending the Net” (1881) and “Arcadia” (1883), were at least partially inspired by his photographs.
He frequently used contentious teaching strategies while working as an instructor. He placed a strong emphasis on the anatomical study of the human and animal bodies since he had a keen interest in all facets of the human figure. He was commended for being liberal, but his teaching strategies, particularly when it came to nudity, generated a lot of debate.
His female students had access to male models who were nude save for loincloths because he believed that women should be given the same professional rights as men. He was forced to leave in 1886 after removing a male model’s loincloth in front of a class full of female students due to the commotion that followed his inappropriate actions.
He was a very well-liked professor, and several of his pupils were so incensed by his resignation that they left the Academy and established the Philadelphia Art Students’ League in 1886, where Thomas Eakins taught from 1886 until 1893. He also served as an adjunct professor at a number of other institutions, including the National Academy of Design, Cooper Union, and the Art Students’ Guild in Washington, DC. By 1898, he stopped teaching.
The Big Work of Thomas Eakins
The Gross Clinic, a painting by Thomas Eakins from 1875, is regarded as his greatest achievement. A group of medical students are shown listening to a lecture by Dr. Samuel D. Gross. The artwork, which received a lot of criticism when it was created and includes one of the finest portraits in American art, is now hailed as a masterpiece of medical history from the 19th century.
Recognition & Achievements
One of the few accolades he was given during his lifetime was the designation of National Academician in 1902.
Personal Legacy & Life
Initially, he was set up with Katherine Crowell, but she passed away tragically before they could wed.
In 1884, Thomas Eakins wed Susan Hannah Macdowell, a student. His wife was a gifted painter in her own right, but once they got married, she choose to support her husband’s career rather than paint frequently. There were no kids born to them.
71 years old, he passed away in Philadelphia on June 25, 1916.
Estimated net worth
The estimated net worth of Thomas Eakins is about $1 million.