*1844-1916
Europe
Eakins
Thomas
57
Artist ID:
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (* 25 July 1844 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; † 25 June 1916 Philadelphia) was a US realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. 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 contemporary Philadelphia; individually, they are incisive depictions of thinking persons.
In addition, Eakins produced a number of large paintings that 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 that 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. Eakins also took a keen interest in the new technologies of motion photography, a field in which he is now seen as an innovator. 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 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".
Further Works of This Artist
Our Mission and Actions
At THE ART HUB, our mission is initially focused on addressing a profound imbalance within the art world, specifically catering to women artists. In the current landscape, a mere 5% to 15% of artworks traded at auctions are created by women, starkly contrasted by the overwhelming 85% to 95% of works by male artists. This disparity is not only confined to auctions but is also prevalent in exhibitions, where male-created art significantly overshadows that of their female counterparts.
By concentrating our efforts on female artists, THE ART HUB aims to counteract this imbalance and champion women within the art community. This initiative is designed to amplify the visibility of women artists, making their creations more accessible to a wider audience, and ultimately striving for a more balanced representation of genders within art auctions and exhibitions. By prioritizing women in art, our platform boldly advocates for equality and diversity within the art sector, signaling a commitment to reshaping and enriching the cultural landscape.
