Revenge of Thomas Eakins Book

Thomas Eakins was misunderstood in life, his brilliant work earned little acclaim, and hidden demons tortured and drove him. Yet the portraits he painted more than a century ago captivate us today, and he is now widely acclaimed as the finest portrait painter our nation has ever produced. This book recounts the artistâ??s life in fascinating detail, drawing on a treasure trove of Eakins family correspondence and papers that have only recently been discovered.Never before has Thomas Eakinsâ??s story been told with such drama, clarity, and accuracy. Sidney Kirkpatrick sets the painterâ??s life and art in the wider context of the changing world he devoted himself to portraying, and he also addresses the artistâ??s private life—the contradictory impulses, obsessions, and possible psychological illness that fired his work. Kirkpatrick underscores Eakinsâ??s unflinching integrity as an artist and discloses how his profound appreciation of the beauty of the human form was both the source of his greatness and ultimately of his undoing. Nevertheless, the author observes, Eakins has had his “revenge,â? inspiring a new generation of realist painters and gaining the recognition that eluded him in life.Read More