Thomas Eakins : The Absolute Male - Hardcover

Esten, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0789306786 ISBN 13: 9780789306784

Publisher: Universe, 2002

Synopsis

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. A major Eakins retrospective will be at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the spring of 2002.

About this title

About the Author:

John Esten has created and designed many books on art, photography, and interior design. A former art director at Harper's Bazaar and L'Officiel USA magazine, he has been guest curator at the Guild Hall Museum in East Hampton, New York, and at the International Center of Photography in New York City. His previous titles include Sargent: Painting Out of Doors, John Singer Sargent: The Male Nudes, and Why Don't You.

From Library Journal:

Thomas Eakins's (1844-1916) reputation has long since recovered from the ostracism he suffered when he exposed female drawing students at the Philadelphia Academy of Art to nude male models and was forced to quit teaching. In recent years, the rehabilitation of this 19th-century realist painter has continued, with several books and museum retrospectives of his work. Perhaps, then, it was inevitable that the erotic potential of Eakins's working materials-extensive photographic documentation of the bodies of his male models and students-would be seized upon. This sexy but unnecessary book compiles many of his photographs of nude youths, often engaged in such unlikely athletic pursuits as wrestling, boxing, or tugs-of-war while in the buff in some Arcadian setting. Translated onto canvas by Eakins, these beautifully composed images became lyrical and timeless. Few of the final paintings are seen here, however. Lacking the interpretive analysis contained in Kathleen Foster's excellent Thomas Eakins Rediscovered, this thin volume is instead best thought of as Victorian-era eye candy. Libraries seeking insight into Eakins's visual methods would be better served by Foster's book.
Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Universe
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0789306786
• ISBN 13: 9780789306784
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80