Tom Akins

American painter. He is good at painting portraits, daily life scenes, especially sports scenes. He studied art in Paris from 1866 to 1869 and went to Spain in 1870. He has been criticized for using mannequins in classes. Represented by the large oil painting "Graus's Surgical Lectures" (1875). In his later years, he created a series of oil paintings depicting boxing matches, with superb skills that not only painted the appearance, but also revealed the inner essence.

Chinese name: Tom Akins

Foreign name: Thomas Cowperthwaite Eakins

Nationality: United States

Birthplace: Philadelphia

Date of birth: July 25, 1844

Date of death: June 25, 1916

Occupation: Painter

Representative works: " Grouse's Clinical Lectures in Surgery"

Early Years

Eakins was not a painter, he was a force. ——Walt Whitman

Thomas Cowperthwaite Eakins (July 25, 1844 - June 25, 1916), American realist painter, photographer, Sculptor and art educator.

Thomas Akins was born in Philadelphia in 1844, the eldest son of his family. His mother, Caroline Cowpsthwaite Akins, was of English and Dutch descent, and his father, Benjamin Akins, was a calligrapher and calligraphy teacher. Thomas learned a lot from his father, and by the age of 12 he had mastered accurate line drawing and grid-based design, skills that would serve him well in his later artistic creations.

Thomas likes sports, rowing, skating, swimming, wrestling, and gymnastics are all his hobbies. At the same time, this subject matter was also part of his subsequent artistic creation. In 1861, Thomas enrolled in the Pennsylvania School of the Fine Arts, where he studied painting and anatomy. From 1866 to 1870, he went to Europe to study art. From 1866 to 1868, Thomas studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Jean-Léon Jér?me and received three years of rigorous training. He also briefly received the guidance of painter L. Bonnet and sculptor A.A. Dumont. In 1869, he went to Spain, where he was deeply impressed by the works of D. Velázquez and Rivera. Thomas was influenced by academic and classical styles, but was not very interested in the Impressionist creations of the time. Learned painting from J.-L. Gér?me and traveled to Italy and Germany in the summer of 1868.

In an 1868 letter to his father, Thomas Aikins said: “A naked woman is the most beautiful thing—except a naked man. Imagine what that is like. The view - a muscular male model standing in front of an unadorned wall, flanked by several smooth-skinned smiling goddesses - clearly demonstrates his aesthetic standards.

In 1870, he returned to Philadelphia and lived in his parents' home. He painted many portraits of his relatives, as well as some scenes of outdoor activities such as rowing, such as his early famous painting "The Champion Single Sculling" (1871)

Teaching and being fired

In 1876, he began teaching at his alma mater, the Pennsylvania School of the Fine Arts. His teaching method has been controversial: students only start with the actual drawing after a brief study of charcoal drawing, so that they can actually grasp the true color of the object. He encouraged students to use photography as an aid to learning painting. Aikins believes that teachers should only provide concise guidance and let students find the development direction that suits them.

At that time, female students could only practice painting on male models wrapped around their waists, but Aikins often broke this rule. In 1883, he took seven nude photos in different poses using himself as a model. He also took some works using students as models for students to learn from.

In 1886, Aikins was fired for using a naked male model in a mixed class. Many male students dropped out of the college as a result, and he faced opposition when he taught anatomy classes in other cities, so he gave up teaching in the 1990s. Aikins' family did not support him, and his nephew accused him of his actions in public debates.

Aikins was hit hard by this firing. Although he was famous, he had no money. His portraits are portraits of Americans from 1870 to 1910. It was not until the early 20th century that he was finally recognized by more people, won some awards and honors, and was called the strongest figure painter in the United States.

The use of photography

He used photography to study the delicate parts of people and animals, making his paintings closer to reality; he also used photos to help teach. Someone once commented that "he (Ai Jeans) brought photography into American studios." He also learned the techniques of capturing action from the then-contemporary photographer Edward Mulbridge.

Others

Portrait of the Thinker, also known as Louis N. Kenton (1900) After Aikins was dismissed, his students formed the Art Students' League of Philadelphia to continue to follow him study.

Aikins also created several sculptures.

His wife Susan Hannah Macdowell Eakins (1851-1938) was also a painter, photographer and pianist. They married in 1884.

Eikins influenced many realist painters, especially the later American Trashcan School and its student sculptor Samuel Murray.

Main works

1.1871 "Schmitt Rowing" "MaxSchmittinasinglescull"

2.1875 "Dr. Gross's Clinical Class" "TheGrossClinic"

3.1884-5 "The Swimming Hole" "The Swimming Hole"

4.1891 "Miss Amelia Van Buren"