Off The Wall: Letitia Wilson Jordan by Thomas Eakins

[International72521]

Photography was invented during that time, why didn't Eakins used photographs to help him reference instead of so many sittings?

[BrooklynMuseum]

In fact, Eakins was among the period's most avid fans of photography, and he took many of photographs, often in preparation for the execution of a particular painting composition. (Many of these photos were illustrated in the catalogue of the last big Eakins exhibition, organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art).

[BrooklynMuseum]

Eakins tended to employ photographs most often when executing multi-figure compositions set in a landscape. He used the photograph to figure out placement and interaction of figures, as well as to study the effects of natural light and the spatial organization of the landscape views. There are relatively fewer examples of his having used photographs in preparation for portraits, I believe.

[BrooklynMuseum]

He did execute several preparatory oil sketches for the portrait of Letitia Wilson Jordan, including a small scored drawing--that is, done on a graph-like grid. To my knowledge, however, no preparatory photograph for this particular portrait are known to exist.

Terry Carbone,

Andrew W. Mellon Curator, American Art

Brooklyn Museum

[RobertRanieri]

Actually seeing a person and how they move, or try not to move, is incredibly informative, much more than a photograph. Even video cannot capture a person's presence. But painting can.

[fredcurrie]

He was not trying for photo realism. I found amazing insight about Eakins work in a book by Robert Henri, "The Art Spirit." In my copy he is referenced on page 90 where Henri writes: " He struggled to apprehend the constructive force in nature and to employ in his works the principles found. His quality was honesty."

[italiangirl62]

i am very proud to say he is my great great great great uncel and if yooh dont belive well... that you

[BrooklynMuseum]

really? that is totally cool!!

[buddmar]

Eakins was an extraordinary artist ... arguably the greatest American painter. He was America's Rembrandt. Recently his "Gross Clinic" sold for over $68,000,000 - the highest for any American painting I believe.