Thomas Eakins – Artwork & Bio of the American Painter

Thomas Eakins was an American painter born on 25 July 1844 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1862, Eakins enrolled at the Pennsylvania  Academy of Fine Arts, studying drawing and anatomy. He furthered his anatomical studies at Jefferson Medical College before moving to Europe, where he attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1870, Eakins returned to Philadelphia, where he gained recognition as a portraitist and worked as an art instructor.

Eakins developed his interest in photography and capturing human subjects in motion in the 1880s. He worked expressly with the medium, creating some controversial works. Eakins received various important commissions during the last years of his career, one of which was a portrait of Dr. David Hayes Agnew. Due to failing health, his artistic contributions began to decline before he died of heart failure on 25 June 1916 in his birth city.

What was Thomas Eakins Known For?

Thomas Eakins was known for painting portraits, scenes. Eakins accurately depicted his subjects, shunning any romantic or imaginative addition. To further investigated the science of humanity, Eakins took extra anatomical classes to improve his art. His mature works show the impact of his later interest in photography.

Who was Thomas Eakins Influenced By?

Thomas Eakins was influenced by Jean-Leon Gerome and Eadweard Muybridge. Eakins studied under Gerome at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, adopting his teacher’s focus on the human figure as his style. Thomas also studied the works of Diego Velazquez in Spain. Muybridge part in Eakins’ artistic development came to play in the early-1880s when both artists worked together on capturing moving subjects.

What Art Movement was Thomas Eakins Associated With?

Thomas Eakins was associated with the Realism art movement. Eakins strictly painted unadulterated depictions of his subjects in a realist style

Thomas Eakins Artwork

Below are some of the artworks of Thomas Eakins

Baby at Play

 

Baseball Players Practicing

 

Cowboy Singing

 

Max Schmitt in a Single Scull

 

Pushing for Rail

 

Starting Out after Rail

 

Taking the Count

 

The Agnew Clinic

 

The Artist’s Wife and His Setter Dog

 

The Biglin Brothers Racing

 

The Chess Player

 

The Concert Singer

 

The Gross Clinic

 

The Pair-Oared Shell

 

The Pathetic Song

 

The Writing Master

All Thomas Eakins Artwork on Artchive

Artwork Name Year Medium
William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of the Schuylkill River 1908 Oil on Canvas
The Swimming Hole c.1883 Oil on Canvas
Miss Van Buren c. 1886-90 Oil On Canvas
The Artist's Wife And His Setter Dog 1884-89 Oil On Canvas
The Thinker (portrait Of Louis N. Kenton) 1900 Oil On Canvas
Starting Out After Rail 1874 Oil On Canvas Mounted On Masonite
Portrait Of William H. Macdowell c. 1904 Oil On Canvas
Portrait Of Douglass Morgan Hall c. 1889 Oil On Canvas
John Biglin In A Single Scull 1873-74 Oil On Canvas
Portrait Of Archbishop William Henry Elder 1903 Oil On Canvas
Portrait of Maud Cook 1895 Oil on Canvas
Max Schmitt in a Single Scull 1871 Oil on Canvas
The Crucifixion 1880 Oil on Canvas
Portrait of Walt Whitman 1887 Oil on Canvas
Self-Portrait c.1902 Oil on Canvas
The Agnew Clinic 1889 Oil on Canvas
The Gross Clinic 1875 Oil on Canvas
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