Leah Hillegas
Professor Finkel
PAC801
12 October 2015
Portrait of Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic)
Observation
As I entered the Philadelphia Museum of Art unsure of where to find an artifact that held a significant relationship to Philadelphia, I came across a large and brightly lit maroon room; with dozens of paintings among the walls that were featured in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. While observing the historical pieces in the room, one painting stood out from all the others in the room. Hanging eight feet by six feet six inches was Thomas Eakins most famous painting: Portrait of Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic). The large scaled painting depicts a vivid scene of Dr. Gross himself teaching a team of five doctorate
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Painting a majority of his works in Philadelphia, no other artist in Philadelphia’s history has shaped the city into what we know, and formulated all his pieces around the city. Aside from the work being painted in Philadelphia and depicting a local artist, this work was created solely for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Organized to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this exhibition included all painting that represented the century of American progress in industry and …show more content…
Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic) is without a doubt an iconic painting. Although it is not a typical styled portrait one is used to seeing, there is a reason that Eakins decided to include the operation progressing before him. The incorporation of the surgery, the doctors, and the medical instruments provides a specific direction of what the subjects intellect is geared towards—in this case, Dr. Gross’s intellect was geared towards medical studies—Dr. Gross is portrayed in a heroic, almost God like manner due to the use of highlights making Dr. Gross appear as he has more light shining down on him than anyone else in the room. This attribute of the painting depicts more than just the life of person; it also shows what the sitter strived to do in the larger community. This painting provides cultural significance to the city of Philadelphia, as it was created to celebrate a local doctor, as well as glorify all the advancements the city had made in the century following the signing of the Declaration of
Born in Bolton, Lancashire, England in 1837, Thomas was taken to the United States at the age of 7. (Ency. Bio. Vol. 11). He was educated in Philadelphia public schools for his elementary years and then indentured to a wood engraving firm in 1853-1856. (Am.Nat.Bio.Vol 15). He had three brothers who were artist, but he learned to paint from his brother Edward Moran. He did do some watercolors during his apprentictionship and in 1856, he painted his first oil painting titled, Among the Ruins There He Lingered. (Vol.11). Moran still working closely with his brother became an informer student of Philadelphia marine artist James Hamilton. Hamilton may have introduced him to the work of J.M.W, turner and a belief in close study of nature in his foundation of panting. (Vol.15) Moran exhibited landscapes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the fine arts for the first time in 1856 and then later elected academician in 1861. He continued to exhibit there through 1905. (Vol.15). 1862 Thomas married Mary Nimmo who had always thought to be her husbands student. (Vol.15). The beginning of his life had just started and didn't know that he would accomplish so many feats with his artwork of nature.
Ernie Barnes was and still is one of the most popular and well-respected black artists today. Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, in 1938, during the time the south as segregated, Ernie Barnes was not expected to become a famous artist. However, as a young boy, Barnes would, “often [accompany] his mother to the home of the prominent attorney, Frank Fuller, Jr., where she worked as a [housekeeper]” (Artist Vitae, The Company of Art, 1999). Fuller was able to spark Barnes’ interest in art when he was only seven years old. Fuller told him about the various schools of art, his favorite painters, and the museums he visited (Barnes, 1995, p. 7). Fuller further introduced Barnes to the works of such artists as, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Correggio, which later influenced Barnes’ mannerist style of painting.
While visiting the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, the works of Archibald Motley caught my attention. Two paintings by the same artist are the focus of this compare and contrast paper. Both are oil paintings during the same time period. Portrait of my Grandmother was painted in 1922 and Hot Rhythm was painted in 1934 only 12 years later. Although the paintings are by the same artist and have similarities, there are also differences which make the artist’s work interesting. Portrait of My Grandmother and Hot Rhythm are two paintings by Motley that capture different emotions (aspects would be a better word) of African Americans.
Third Impressionist exhibition in Paris, held in 1877. Currently displayed in the Art Institute of
For my research I decided to visit the Smithsonian art museum in Washington dc. The Smithsonian art museum has about 3299 art works on display for viewing. I was able to see many great works of art while the art museum. The trip was eye opening. I was exposed to different art techniques with varying use of contrast and depth. I noted the different brush strokes and drawing styles and how they varied between each artist. After viewing many works of art, I decided to compare Henry O Tanner’s painting “The head of a Jew in Palestine” with Alice Pike Barneys painting, “The head of a Negro Boy”
The show’s organizers, Teresa A. Carbone (the museum’s curator of American art) and Kellie Jones, did an exceptional job of strategically placing the artwork in relevance and relating topics to one another. When I arrived, the exhibit was empty and I actually had the opportunity to meet Ms. Carbone, who was on hand at the museum’s entrance.
The exhibit that I viewed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was one about European Art between the years 1100-1500. This was a series of paintings, sculptures, architecture, and tapestry of the Medieval and Early Renaissance as well as objects from the Middle East. This exhibit was an important part of the history of the Philadelphia Museum of Art because for the first time, Italian, Spanish, and Northern European paintings from the John G. Johnson collection were shown. It gave me a good idea of what the paintings were like in these four centuries and reflected ideas of both the east and the west.
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, located in the Art Institute of Chicago, is one of the most recognizable paintings of the 19th century, a painting made by Frenchman Georges Seurat. Finished in 1886, it has gained much of its recognition over the time of its completion; the pop culture of today has played a pivotal role into the popularity of it. An example of that is being apart in one of the most recognizable scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where one of the main characters is solely staring at the painting until he can’t even recognize the artwork. This painting also gets much attention because it was an early example of the style of pointillism, at the time; pointillism was becoming a new way of expressing one self with the new technique. It also brought upon about the way we saw paintings, and what we gained from the artwork as whole. In all this painting has become an icon in the art scene, due to the technique it used, and how much of an impact it has had in today culture.
The first artist that I would like to discuss is named Nehemiah Partridge and his painting during the 17th century. Nehemiah Partridge is a painter from the 17th century and he painted colonial art. The painting that I chose is named “Portrait of Catherine Ten Broeck”, and was created in 1719 on oil canvas. The painting is of a young girl holding a rose in her right hand while holding a bird in her left hand. The girl in the painting is very young, and she seems to be very happy being painted. The painting illustrates every-day life in the 1700s. The artist chose very earthy tones for the color scheme, but the light is focused on the young girl. The elements were very calm and peaceful in this painting. In addition, the background of this painting focuses on a young girl named Catherine who was painted by Nehemiah Partridge. The painting has descended by Edward L. Ford from the family’s great-great-great-granddaughter in New York City. This style of painting reflects “reflects Partridge's style of quick, prominent brush strokes with a palette of black, brown, blue, and rust. The sket...
9. Bouguereau, William A. Psyche et L'Amour. 1889. Private Collection. Art In the Picture. 2014. 25 Jan. 2014 .
On Saturday, March 15, 2014, I visited the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The gallery #753, which is a part of so-called American Wing, features oil paintings of the revolutionary period in America. The paintings seen in this gallery celebrate heroes and hard-fought battles of the new nation. The most popular type of painting of that time remained portraiture. Portraits in extremely large numbers figured in interiors, where they were arranged to convey not only domestic, but political messages as well. Hence, it is natural, that such iconic figure like George Washington became a model for numerous artists of that era, including Gilbert Stuart and Charles Willson Peale, for whom Washington actually sat. Two exceptional portraits of Washington, the general and the the first President of the United States are highlighted in this paper.
Wolanin, Barbara A.. Dykstra, Gretchen, ed. Mary G. L. Hood and Philadelphia Modernism. n.p.: Woodmere Art Museum, 2011. Print.
We walked and walked looking at each art piece, which were all well displayed. Then as I looked at the back wall, a large oil canvas painting looked right back at me. I could feel its pain and so then, I decided to do my paper on this piece. The painting was The Ragpicker by Manet. (The Ragpicker. Edouard Manet.1865.Oil on canvas.) The painting was so enormous that it was hard to miss. Such a huge painting for one man, it almost looked life-like. The dimensions of this work is 76.75” x 51.25”. This scene seems to take place of a lower-class man late in his age, probably near his seventies, appears to be looking out of the corner of his eye. The ...
I thoroughly enjoyed reading David Berman’s poem “Self-Portrait at 28”. Reading this poem made me feel sad, pensive and nostalgic for the events in my life that I miss. I’m not twenty eight, but I feel like the events that the persona talked about in this poem were very universal. I also sympathize with the persona’s depression and feeling with loneliness. I can relate to feel like I am bothering someone while I am talking to them. I often get scared reaching out to people because I am always afraid I am bothering them. The voice is this poem were very strong. The uses of imagery, tone and symbolism help make this poem strong.
One pleasant afternoon, my classmates and I decided to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to begin on our museum assignment in world literature class. According to Houston Museum of Fine Art’s staff, MFAH considers as one of the largest museums in the nation and it contains many variety forms of art with more than several thousand years of unique history. Also, I have never been in a museum in a very long time especially as big as MFAH, and my experience about the museum was unique and pleasant. Although I have observed many great types and forms of art in the museum, there were few that interested me the most.