Thomas Eakins : art, medicine, and sexuality in nineteenth-century Philadelphia / Amy Werbel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Werbel, Amy Beth.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916--Psychology.

Eakins, Thomas.

Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916--Sexual behavior.

Eakins, Thomas, 1844-1916.

Artists--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Attitudes.

Artists.

Physicians--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Attitudes.

Physicians.

Psychology.

Philadelphia (Pa.)--Social life and customs--History--19th century.

Philadelphia (Pa.).

Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Physical Description:

xii, 194 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 27 cm

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, [2007]

Summary:

The life and work of Thomas Eakins (1844- 1916), America' s most celebrated portrait painter, have long generated heated controversy. In this fresh and deeply researched interpretation of the artist, Amy Werbel sets Eakins in the context of Philadelphia' s scientific, medical, and artistic communities of the 19th century, and considers his provocative behavior in the light of other well-publicized scandals of his era. This illuminating perspective provides a rich, alternative account of Eakins and casts entirely new light on his renowned paintings. Eakins' modern critics have described his artistic motivations and beliefs as prurient and even pathological. Werbel challenges these interpretations and suggests instead that Eakins is best understood as an artist and teacher devoted to an exacting and profound study of the human body, to equality for women and men, and to middle-class meritocratic and Quaker philosophies.

Contents:

From Benjamin Franklin to Thomas Eakins : a century of Philadelphia scientists, artists, and provocateurs

The Agnew Clinic, the Gross Clinic, the Crucifixion, and Swimming : dissecting Eakins' paintings

Body casts and "anatomical eyes" : Thomas Eakins, William Williams Keen, and the curriculum at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Art, pornography, freak shows, medical pictures, and the guilty pleasures of photography in nineteenth-century Philadelphia

Scandalous exposures : the trials of Thomas Eakins, William Smith Forbes, and Oscar Wilde

Conclusion : Thomas Eakins' family values.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [162]-181) and index.

ISBN:

9780300116557

0300116551

OCLC:

71812838