Book Description
"In his devotion to American subjects," Homer writes, "Eakins seems to have responded to Walt Whitman's challenge to portray life in the United States rather than worn-out European myths and allegories." The variety of Eakins's work is remarkable--lively sporting scenes, psychologically incisive portraits, dramatic historical tableaux, as well as numerous sculptures and innovative photographs. The full range of this art is explored here in revealing detail. His working methods are illuminated by telling comparisons between his paintings and the photographs and drawings that were part of his creative process. Quotations from his notebooks, letters, and other writings provide additional insights into his artistic personality, and a chapter on his career as a teacher reveals the strengths and weaknesses of that strife-filled realm of his life.
Eakins's willful independence as both artist and teacher often entangled him in controversy. His many battles with a hidebound Establishment had led previous writers to romanticize Eakins as a martyr of American art. Professor Homer's revisionist study of Eakins's career--based on long years of research and previously unexamined visual and documentary sources--helped to demythologize this complex artist without diminishing his brilliance or the importance of his art.
Other details: 240 illustrations, 100 in full color
