Thomas Eakins Quotes on Art

Thomas Eakins is a famous American realist painter and photographer. He is best known for his portraits, nudes, landscapes and water scenes. He produced oil paintings, watercolors, photography, sculpture, and drawings. Famous Thomas Eakins works include “Max Schmitt in a Single Scull”, “The Gross Clinic”, “The Swimming Hole”, “The Cello Player”, “Taking the Count”, and “Wrestlers”.

Mini biography: Born Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins on the 25th of July, 1844 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. His mother was Caroline Cowperthwait and his father Benjamin Eakins was a calligrapher. He was married to Susan Hannah Macdowell who was also an artist. The artist died on the 25th of June, 1916 at the age of 71. His fame as an artist came mostly posthumously. Eakins was buried in The Woodlands, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.

List of Thomas Eakins Art Quotes

I have never discovered that the nude could be studied in any way except the way I have adopted. All the muscles must be pointed out. To do this all the drapery must be removed. Thomas Eakins

If America is to produce great painters and if young artists wish to assume a place in the history of the art of their country, their first desire should be to remain in America to peer deeper into the heart of American life, rather than spend their time abroad obtaining a superficial view of the art of the Old World. Thomas Eakins

I have often used the word in both these acceptations, but I don’t like it. My prominent idea of a polite man is one who is nothing but polish. It is an unenviable reputation. If there was anything else in him the polish would never be noticed. He is a bad drawing finely worked up, and Gérôme (French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme) says that every attempt at finish on a bad design serves only to make the work more contemptible. Thomas Eakins

When a man paints a naked woman he gives her less than poor Nature did. I can conceive of few circumstances wherein I would have to paint a woman naked, but if I did I would not mutilate her for double the money. She is the most beautiful thing there is — except a naked man, but I never saw a study of one exhibited. Thomas Eakins

A teacher can do very little for a pupil and should only be thankful if he don’t hinder him, and the greater the master, mostly the less he can say. Thomas Eakins

In mathematics the complicated things are reduced to simple things. So it is in painting. Thomas Eakins

My figures at least are not a bunch of clothes with a head and hands sticking out but more nearly resemble the strong living bodies that most pictures show. And in the latter end of a life so spent in study, you at least can imagine that painting is with me a very serious study. That I have but little patience with the false modesty which is the greatest enemy to all figure painting. Thomas Eakins

Thomas Eakins Self Portrait

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