Thomas Eakins: His Life and Art [Hardcover]

William Innes Homer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1992

The range of Thomas Eakins' (1844-1916) work is dazzling - handsome sporting scenes (sculling, swimming, baseball, boxing..), dramatic historical tableaux, psychologically incisive portraits, as well as sculptures and scientifically astute experiments with photography. His influence as both artist and teacher permeates American art history. This revisionist study of his life and work, based on extensive and newly discovered primary source materials aims to confirm the brilliance of his work or his importance to art history. It attempts to answer many of the questions that have long surrounded Eakins, and sets out to provide an unidealized evaluation of his strong-willed character and his vibrant art.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Long celebrated, like his crony and idol Walt Whitman, as an advocate of ``the common man,'' American realist painter Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) emerges here as a self-righteous, domineering egotist troubled by sexual obsessions and dark secrets. According to art historian Homer, author of books on Albert Pinkham Ryder and Alfred Stieglitz, Eakins harbored unconscious hostility toward women and ``wanted to defeminize them.'' He married one of his most promising art students, Susan Macdowell, then gave her no encouragement to paint. By relatives' accounts, he may have sexually abused his 23-year-old niece, Ella Crowell, triggering her suicide. In a startling, fresh, gloriously illustrated biographical-critical portrait, Homer knocks the halo off Eakins while capturing the humanity and complexity of his art. Drawing on hitherto unavailable source materials, he fathoms a painter who, like Whitman, evinced disregard for the conventions of his time.

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Skilled technician in oils, sculptor, photographer, teacher, illustrator, and close observer of anatomy and movement, Eakins (1844-1916) has long stood as an anti-establishment hero in the history of American art. Noted art historian Homer reevaluates this Philadelphian's controversial career in an extraordinarily handsome critical biography. Of the 240 illustrations, 100 are color plates of Eakins's unidealized yet evocative portraits, sporting scenes, and history paintings. Many of the remaining illustrations are intriguing photographs of Eakins, his sitters, and studies for his canvases. Appendixes include a chronology and footnotes. An outstanding volume worthy of all lovers of American art, both scholarly and lay.
- Kathleen Eagen Johnson, Historic Hudson Valley, Tarrytown, N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 276 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; 1st edition (October 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558592814
• ISBN-13: 978-1558592810
• Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 11.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,249,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Buy, November 24, 2011

By 

Walter Edward Carver - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thomas Eakins: His Life and Art (Hardcover)

This book is well researched and well written. Unlike the academic writers who think that each missive should have at least four commas and an equal number of parenthetical phrases, Mr. Homer writes in clear and concise sentences. While the book is a biography of Thomas Eakins, Mr. Homer also has the ability to turn "the life of" into a fascinating story line which keeps the reader interested in what's going to happen next. Finally, the plates match the story so that the reader is not constantly turning pages ahead or pages behind to match an illustration with the written word. I would suggest the reader buy a new copy and keep it handy as a reference as opposed to owning it as an extra-large book decorating the reader's coffee table. The reader now should be warned: this book is much too big and heavy to read in bed, propped on a frail sternum late at night. As an individual with an extensive art library, I would place this book among those which are a pleasure to read.