In this seminar we will survey the life and work of Thomas Eakins, examining the shape of his career (as student, art teacher, and exhibiting artist) and the range of investigative pursuits he considered essential to his achievement (among them anatomy, sculpture, and still and motion photography). A close view of individual works will invite consideration of such topics as the influence on Eakins of European and American art; the era's proliferation of exhibition opportunities and outlets for art criticism; his ties to Philadelphia's scientific, cultural, and religious communities; issues of gender and sexuality in late nineteenth-century America; and the professionalization and effectiveness of art education in the United States. Students' responsibilities will include a seminar presentation and a final paper. Visits to public collections in Philadelphia and New York are likely.

Hour: SIMPSON