ILT students,
Taking the full period, write a report on Thomas. Use the information and images in this blog for your report. Click on "comments" and write your report as a comment. Please write your name at the top. You might watch the crew race and describe it as a way to understand Thomas's fascination and admiration of rowers.
will O'Connor part 1
ReplyDeleteThomas Cowperthwait Eakins (July 25, 1844, – June 25, 1916,) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important artists in American art history. For the length of his professional career, from the early 1870s until his health began to fail some 40 years later, Eakins worked exactingly from life, choosing as his subject the people of his hometown of Philadelphia. He painted several hundred portraits, usually of friends, family members, or prominent people in the arts, sciences, medicine, and clergy, Taken en masse, the portraits offer an overview of the intellectual life of Philadelphia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; individually, they are incisive depictions of thinking persons. As well, Eakins produced a number of large paintings which brought the portrait out of the drawing room and into the offices, streets, parks, rivers, arenas, and surgical amphitheaters of his city. These active outdoor venues allowed him to paint the subject which most inspired him: the nude or lightly clad figure in motion. In the process he could model the forms of the body in full sunlight, and create images of deep space utilizing his studies in perspective. No less important in Eakins' life was his work as a teacher. As an instructor he was a highly influential presence in American art. The difficulties which beset him as an artist seeking to paint the portrait and figure realistically were paralleled and even amplified in his career as an educator, where behavioral and sexual scandals truncated his success and damaged his reputation. Eakins also took a keen interest in the new technologies of motion photography, a field in which he is now seen as an innovator. Eakins was a controversial figure whose work received little by way of official recognition during his lifetime. Since his death, he has been celebrated by American art historians as "the strongest, most profound realist in nineteenth-and early twentieth-century American art".
will O'Connor part 2
ReplyDeleteSelf-portrait is an oil on canvas painting by Thomas Eakins. It was presented as a diploma piece upon his election as an Associate member of the National Academy of Design in 1902. Eakins was not invited to become a member of the National Academy of Design until 1902, well after many of his contemporaries. It was only in the late 1890s that his reputation benefited from a positive reassessment by his colleagues, as well as a rediscovery by a younger generation of artists and writers. Unanimously approved as an Associate-elect of the National Academy on 12 March 1902, Eakins quickly painted this self-portrait and submitted it to the Academy on 5 May, and was accepted as a full Academician at the annual meeting on 14 May; he remains the only artist in the Academy's history to be made an Associate and full Academician in the same year.
In July 1870, Eakins began to paint rowing pictures. This work is among the most celebrated of those painted between 1870 and 1874. It depicts Eakins' boyhood friend Max Schmitt (1843–1900), a champion oarsman, in a scull on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Eakins depicted himself in the distant boat, rowing away from Schmitt. The bridges behind the rowers can be identified as the Girard Avenue Bridge and the Connecting Railroad Bridge, respectively. It is believed that this work commemorates Max Schmitt's victory in a single-scull competition on October 5, 1870.
In the decade following the Civil War, rowing became one of America’s most popular spectator sports. When its champions, the Biglin brothers of New York, visited Philadelphia in the early 1870s, Thomas Eakins made numerous paintings and drawings of them and other racers. Here, the bank of the Schuylkill River divides the composition in two. The boatmen and the entering prow of a competing craft fill the lower half with their immediate, large-scale presence. The upper and distant half contains a four-man rowing crew, crowds on the shore, and spectators following in flag decked steamboats.
Brendan Mingle
ReplyDeleteMr.Ayers
ILT
2/27/12
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins
Thomas Eakins was born July 25, 1844 in Philadelphia on a beautiful sunny summer day. As young boy he enjoyed various athletic activities such as rowing, wrestling, swimming, sailing, ice skating and gymnastics, which later influenced his work. He attended a local public high school, Central High School. His school was the principal school for advanced science and art students. At this school he was very successful in many aspects of art, but mechanical drawing was his specialty. He later studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts starting in the early 1860’s. He attended classes in anatomy and dissection at Jefferson Medical College in1864-1865. he became a surgeon for a couple of years because he had a vast intelligence and interest in the human anatomy. After he had enough of the surgeon’s lifestyle, he went and studied art in one of Europe’s richest culture cities, Paris. He studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme, being only the second American pupil of the French realist painter famous as a master of Orientalism. He also attended the school of Léon Bonnat, a realist painter who had anatomical preciseness, a method adapted by Eakins. While studying at the École des Beaux-Arts, he seems to have taken scant interest in the new Impressionist movement, nor was he impressed by what he perceived as the classical pretensions of the French Academy. He sent home a letter to his father in 1868 describing what he was feeling and his intentions. Latter he took a six month trip to Spain where he confirmed his interest in realism. Thomas as a professional was a realist and he used various skills he learned in Paris and Seville, Spain. Thomas’s early boyhood activities played a role in what he painted. Rowing is an example of one of his hobbies that had direct correlation with his art. Several of his works such as Max Schmitt 1871 and Biglin Brothers had rowing as an influence. Since Eakins was a realist he is paintings were realistic. Eakins was incredible at capturing reflections in the water. Also ripples and slight waves he was very talented illustrating. Eakins used oil paints on canvas which requires great skill to be able to manipulate canvas. Eakins also was very talented in painting clouds as well. He could give the clouds so much depth and detail. Its quite inspirational how gifted he is at replicating these very detailed aspects of nature and life.
Amelia Way
ReplyDeleteThomas Eakins was born on July 25 1844 and died on June 25, 1916. He was 72 years old. He is said to be one of the "most important artists in American art history". When Eakins was a child he was big into sports, he did rowing, swimming and wrestling. He went to Central High School and was excellent in mechanical drawing. This lead him to study drawing at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and he took dissection classes at Jefferson Medical College. Eakins was very fascinated with dissection and was considering taking up being a surgeon. Still his art took him to study in Paris.
Eakins took up a teaching job and soon became an instructor who was a highly influential presence in American art." As a teacher his seeking to paint the portrait and figure realistically were amplified and left his reputation damaged by behavioral and sexual scandals. He also took an interest in new technologies of motion photography and is seen as an innovator for it.
As a teacher he would teach his students a very short study in charcoal, and a quick introduction in painting and he encouraged students to use photography as an aid in anatomy. Then he went into painting. His class was open to students who were even interested in illustration, lithography and decoration not just in becoming portrait artists.
Thomas Eakins was fascinated in the way the body moved and being able to capture that. He would go down to the river near his hometown and paint a rower named John Biglin. He loved how his almost nude body moved with very oar stroke. Eakins painted him when he was just about to put the oars back into the water. He like how that single second could both show strength and grace. How there was so much power in that one second of rowing. He wanted to try to capture that. He painted is on a canvas with oil paints so he could get the textures of Biglin's arms and the water so they showed exactly what he wanted them to.
Eakins never became a surgeon because his mind was already made up about being an artist. He did paint a picture of somebody undergoing surgery and it is one of his most famous painting. When he was alive his portraits and paintings weren't really noticed. It wasn't until after his death that he became an inspiration to American art.
Will O'Connor history of Rowing
ReplyDeleteRowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water. The sport can be both recreational, focusing on learning the techniques required, and competitive where overall fitness plays a large role. It is also one of the oldest Olympic sports. In the United States, high school and collegiate rowing is sometimes referred to as crew. the International Federation of Rowing Associations was founded by representatives from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Adriatica (now a part of Italy) and Italy in Turin on 25 June 1892. It is the oldest international sports federation in the Olympic movement. FISA first organized a European Rowing Championships in 1893. An annual World Rowing Championships was introduced in 1962.
Rowing has also been conducted at the Olympic Games since 1900 Even since the earliest recorded references to rowing, the sporting element has been present. An Egyptian funerary inscription of 1430 BC records that the warrior Amenhotep (Amenophis) II was also renowned for his feats of oarsmanship. In the Aeneid, Virgil mentions rowing forming part of the funeral games arranged by Aeneas in honor of his father. In the 13th century, Venetian festivals called regatta included boat races among others. The first known "modern" rowing races began from competition among the professional watermen that provided ferry and taxi service on the River Thames in London. Prizes for wager races were often offered by the London Guilds and Livery Companies or wealthy owners of riverside houses. The oldest surviving such race, Doggett's Coat and Badge was first contested in 1715 and is still held annually from London Bridge to Chelsea. During the 19th century these races were to become numerous and popular, attracting large crowds. Prize matches amongst professionals similarly became popular on other rivers throughout Great Britain in the 19th century, notably on the Tyne. In America, the earliest known race dates back to 1756 in New York, when a pettiauger defeated a Cape Cod whaleboat in a race. Founded in 1818, Leander Club is the world's oldest public rowing club. The second oldest club which still exists is the Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club which was founded 1836 and marked the beginning of rowing as an organized sport in Germany. During the 19th century, as in England, wager matches in North America between professionals became very popular attracting vast crowds. The Detroit Boat Club was established as the first rowing exclusive club in 1839 in the US. In 1843, the first American college rowing club was formed at Yale University. The Harvard-Yale Regatta is the oldest intercollegiate sporting event in the United States, having been held every year since 1852.
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins, born on July 25, 1844, is an iconic American artist. He was a realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and an art professor. As a young child, Thomas was extremely athletic. His active childhood was a big influence on his paintings; considering he went on to paint a lot of rowers, sailors, and athletes. Thomas was born and raised in the heart of Philadelphia. He went to Central High School, the premier public school in the city. Central High School specialized in the sciences and the arts. When Thomas attended the school, he excelled in mechanical drawing. After high school in 1861, he went on to study drawing and anatomy at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. For a year, he studied courses on anatomy and dissection at Jefferson Medical College. He even considered being a surgeon. After art school in 1866, he went to study art in Paris. After Thomas got back from Europe he really started to concentrate on his paintings. Thomas’s paintings were mostly all oil on canvas. He really enjoyed painting portraits of people. He found the human face and body to be very beautiful. He was also truly inspired by his child hood activities, especially rowing. Something about rowing really interested Thomas. I think Thomas really appreciated rowing for the beauty of it. There is really something cool about how all the men rowing are in unison and synchronized. Thomas also loved to paint nudes. Almost all of his paintings were the same color scheme. His portraits were all very dark colors. He really liked to play up the shadows in the dark lighting. My favorite thing about Eakins paintings are the concepts behind them. Each one of his paintings had a deeper meaning behind them. In the painting A. Van Buren 1890, he really captures the thinking aspect of the thinker in the painting. My favorite piece of Eakins is called The Gross Clinic. The painting is of doctors hard at work in the middle of a surgery. It is really different from a lot of his other pieces. The color scheme is really dark which I think is quite fitting for the subject of the painting. After Eakins concentrated on his paintings and photography, he went on to teach at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Thomas is one of the most respected American artists of our time. His paintings live on today.
ReplyDeleteThomas Cowperthwait Eakins born on July 25, 1844, was a realist painter, a photographer, a sculptor, and he was also an educator. Thomas as a child was very active; he enjoyed rowing, ice skating, swimming, wrestling, sailing, and gymnastics. Some of these activities he would portray later in his artwork, especially rowing. He attended one of the best public schools in Philadelphia, Central High School. He would later return there to become an art educator. After Central High School, he attended at Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts where he studied drawing and anatomy, which was very well acclaimed. After college, Thomas’ profession actually was a writing teacher. After that, with his education in anatomy he considered becoming a surgeon. Soon after that he found his true calling as an artist and art educator. While he was an artist he took a particular interest in the sport of rowing. It is clear in his work, that he captures movement in such detail that it makes one realise the true beauty of rowing that other people may not see. He also really focused on the color palette of painting which helped portray the over all mood of the painting. In one of his most famous works, John Biglin in a Single Skull, really shows his prime use of color, and accentuates the calm mood of the painting.
ReplyDeleteThomas Eakins also painted several different subjects, especially portraits. The subjects of his portraits were his family and friends, as well as some well known individuals who he chose to paint. One of his portraits, titled Van Buren, 1890, is another great example of his use of light in his work. This piece in particular really showcases how much a realist he was.
Thomas experimented in photography as well. He actually was one of the first generations to grow up with photography so he got to experiment it throughout his life. He took a particular interest in motion photography in the 1870s. The one thing that is especially interesting about motion photography is its similar to motion pictures, but in one still frame. Thomas executed this medium by taking multiple exposures on one frame.
Thomas Eakins was a man of many artistic talents. Also being an art educator, he really made his mark on the art world and still influences many artists today.
Caden
ReplyDeleteThomas Eakins
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins was born in Philadelphia on July 25, 1844. During his life he was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and a fine arts educator. For most of his career he worked exactingly from life. Some of the subjects he chose were people from his home town. Thomas as a child enjoyed rowing, ice skating, swimming, wrestling, sailing, and gymnastics. He attended a public high school for the applied science and arts. Here Thomas excelled in mechanical drawing. Eakins began studying the arts in 1861 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He also began attending anatomy and dissection at Jefferson Medical College in 1864. Thomas studied art in Europe from 1866 to 1870, interestingly it was in Paris. He was fascinated with rowing. When he returned from Europe his first works included a lot of rowing scenes. The most famous piece of art he produced is Max Schmitt in a Single Scull. This was made in 1871. In my opinion Max Schmitt is a beautiful painting, and gives us great insight to what a days activity was like back then. Thomas shocked the artistic conventionalities of the city with his style and subject. Thomas placed himself in the painting.
In the painting A. van Buren Thomas shows his attention to detail. The painting was made in 1890. In it is depicted a women. She is wearing a pink dress typical of the time.