UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 13, Page 1                       
December 3, 1992                                       
William Homer authors new book about Thomas Eakins     
                                                       
     To me, Thomas Eakins was a modern Leonardo da Vinci, combining
art and science in his paintings. A realist, he is considered by many
to be America's greatest artist. I have had a long-standing interest
in him, and I have always felt a kinship with him as a fellow
Philadelphian. In my new book on Eakins, I have tried to present a
verbal and visual panorama of Eakins' life and works."       
     The speaker is William I. Homer, H. Rodney Sharp Professor of Art
History and chairperson of the department, who has written a 
definitive book about the artist.                            
     Entitled Thomas Eakins, His Life and Art, the oversize and
lavishly illustrated book is a critical biography and a compilation of
Eakins' art from when he studied in Paris as a young man through his
mature years. In addition to reproductions of paintings and studies
for the paintings, the book also is illustrated with many photographs
both by and of Eakins.                                       
     Homer wrote his first article on Eakins in 1963 and has been
working, on and off, collecting material for the book since that time.
The actual writing time was three years.                     
     In his introduction, Homer notes, "My intent is to capture the
essence of the man with the same penetrating spirit that he used to
portray his own subjects, honestly and without idealization."
     Eakins was known for his portraits and studies of Americans and
their lives. Among his paintings are sporting activities in  
Philadelphia, including sculling, sailing, hunting and baseball.
     Homer's book includes Eakins' photographic studies and an oil
sketch, as well as the final painting, of The Swimming Hole, one of
the artist's best known works. His students posed for this painting in
Bryn Mawr, Pa.                                               
     One of his most famous paintings is The Gross Clinic, in which
noted Philadelphia surgeon Samuel D. Gross and his assistants are 
removing diseased bone from a patient's leg while being watched by the
patient's mother and observers in the amphitheater at Jefferson
Medical College. Homer delves into the background of how the painting
evolved, showing a sketch and study for the painting and contrasting
it with Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp.          
     Of the painting, Eakins wrote, "I have just got a new picture
blocked in and it is far better than anything I have ever done," but
the painting was a critical failure in his time, which deeply hurt
Eakins, according to Homer.                                  
     Although other books have been written about Eakins, new archival
material about the artist has been made available just recently, Homer
said.                                                        
     In 1985, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts was able to
purchase a collection of material by Eakins, including paintings, 
sketches, sculptures, photographs and letters, from the widow of
Charles Bregler, a student of Eakins. Most of the material had
belonged to Susan Eakins, the artist's widow.                
     Other sources of biographical material also have surfaced in the
past few years that have contributed to a fully-rounded study of the
artist.                                                      
     In a recent talk about Eakins at the Border's Bookstore in center
city Philadelphia, Homer said, "Eakins was passionately dedicated to
his artistic goals, holding unswervingly to his credo of honesty and
truthfulness in painting."                                   
     One of the strong influences in his later life was Eakins'
friendship with Walt Whitman. According to Homer, "These two giants in
American culture...reinforced the beliefs of the other." Their chief
similarity "was their self-sufficient confidence, which allowed them
to disregard the conventions of their time."                 
     Eakins' portrait of Whitman is one of his best, Homer said.
     When the poet died, Eakins and his assistants made a death mask
and cast of his hand, and Eakins served as a pallbearer.     
     Eakins' personality had a dark side, and he frequently alienated
people, although as Homer pointed out, "It is not necessary to be a
delightful person to be an effective artist....Eakins cared less about
his public reputation than his freedom to paint as he pleased."
     The publication of Thomas Eakins, His Life and Art by Abbeville 
Press coincided with an exhibition,"Thomas Eakins, Art and Archive,"
presented by Babcock Galleries in New York City from Oct. 29-Dec. 5,
commemorating the 75th anniversary of the galleries' first Eakins 
exhibition. The galleries held a reception and book signing honoring
Homer on the opening day of the exhibition.                  
     Abbeville Press, which is noted for the quality of its art
publications, has selected Homer's book to commemorate its 15th
anniversary and has produced a special, limited leather-bound edition
of 200 copies of the book, signed by the author.             
     Homer, who has written numerous books on artists, including
Seurat and the Science of Painting, Alfred Stieglitz and the American
Avant-Garde and, most recently (with Lloyd Goodrich), Albert Pinkham
Ryder: Painter of Dreams, is continuing his research on Eakins.
     In the future, he plans to publish a book of the complete letters
of Thomas Eakins, letting the artist speak for himself.      
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure