The Oarsmen
Thomas Eakins, The Oarsmen, ca. 1873, oil on canvas, Bequest of Mrs. Blanche Hersey Hogue, public domain, 54.19
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
The Oarsmen
- Artist
- Date
ca. 1873
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
14 in x 18 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
signature: signed
- Collection Area
American Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
American
- Credit Line
Bequest of Mrs. Blanche Hersey Hogue
- Accession Number
54.19
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
In Eakins's time, the sport of rowing was a new and swiftly growing sport in America. As the country became industrialized, public sport became an important institution. The superstars of rowing included men from all classes of society, a fact which Eakins appreciated and celebrated in his art. Committed to pursuing excellence and hard work, he considered the rowers as symbolic of America's egalitarian spirit.
Eakins's attachment to the subject of rowing was enhanced by his own experience as an enthusiastic amateur oarsman. He was especially interested in depicting the physical motions of rowing and convincing perspectives, combining closely observed foreground figures with deep space. For each picture, he prepared painstaking perspective drawings and preliminary sketches, investigating various pictorial challenges. Eakins produced nearly thirty rowing pictures between 1871 and 1874 and introduced the sport as a serious subject for art.
- Exhibitions
1998 The Other Nineteenth Century Portland Art Museum
