Thomas Eakins: The Gross Clinic

What first catches the viewer 's eyes are the vivid colors used in the painting. Ultimately what jumps out the most is the man on the right 's red robe. The artist intended this for a reason, discussed later. The room where the men are standing is front lit. Also the atmosphere is

The very first things I notice in the painting are the subject’s eyes. Dix paints Dr. Heinrich’s eyes with a heavy, swamp-like impasto. The decision to make the eyes of Dr. Heinrich to look directly at the viewer combined with the heavy impasto used on the eyes fortifies the hypnotic effect that this painting holds. The use of the swampy green and grey colouration with a tinge of bloodshot pink in the eyes gives the painting a vile and uncomfortable aura. The colouration of the rest of the face is tinted with a sickening green; Dix’s decision to represent the doctor’s face in this colour

To figure this out, one must first learn about the piece. This image was presented along with 7 others in the Art Gallery of Ontario, on a wall covered in punctured latex, giving the illusion of open wounds, the blue reminiscent of a hospital. All of the images are turned on their sides, and appear to be grouped in pairs, each one

To begin, the artist has depicted to people in the

The contrast between the light cream background and the maroon blouse have successfully drawn in viewers attention. The contrasting colours have made the overall artwork standout. The viewers eyes are snatched towards the vibrant red then it is directed to Kramer’s peaceful expression. Her expression is identified as the focal point of the painting. It encapsulates the meaning of stillness expressing the relaxation and tranquilness. Greensmith had chosen to use a variety of different colour tones to help sculpt and emphasis Kramer’s features. The use of darker shades towards her left side creates a shadow, indicating her angled sitting position.

The painting actually reflects what seems to be her own personal life while carrying on a biblical theme as well. The image shows that the exposed women has her head turn and her feet positioned as if she were trying to get away from the situation

Thomas Eakins, an American painter, is recognized for his anatomical depictions of men and women in his paintings. In the Romantic era, it was known for artists to illustrate scenes which evoke emotions; however, Eakins’ The Gross Clinic (1875) bluntly portrayed a bloody surgery, which was not received well, due to the fact that few other painting depicted such a vulgar and graphic scene. In the nineteenth century, men were viewed as the rational, reasonable and intellectual beings, superior over the passive and submissive qualities of women. In that time period, man was considered woman’s superior over God’s appointment. Eakins portrayal of men and women reflect the characters of both sexes present in his society.

In 1875, Thomas Eakins would paint a portrait that he described as “very far better than anything I have ever done.” (232). This portrait became known as The Gross Clink or Portrait of Professor Gross. The clinic is taking place at the Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. The purpose of this paper is to give an analysis of this painting.

The entire painting is focused around him and nothing else. It is made up bright colors, basic shapes, and lines. The background is made up of a mix of light and dark

Thomas Eakins's 1875 Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross, also known as The Gross Clinic, is still stupendous for its forthright, candid realism. The scene depicts Dr. Gross overseeing a surgery and lecturing to a class of medical student. The Gross Clinic documents medical sanitary procedures of its time, but the painting’s real focus are living figures.Eakins real focus is of all the individuals present in the surgical amphitheater.Yet the enormous image of the celebrated surgeon, bald dome and aureole of gray hair gleaming under an operating-theater skylight, is also a masterpiece of calculated expressive contrast: harsh daylight against a dim interior, black clothing against white cloth and pale flesh, theory against brute reality. It is Gross's

First, we see that Rembrandt decided not to emphasize the audience, or grandeur of the annual dissection of a human corpse. He chose to keep his adaptation of the autopsy much more intimate than his counterpart did. This was typical of Rembrandt’s idealization of death, he sought to emphasize its somberness – even if he was painting what was considered a spectacle of wealth, and degradation of the dead. In contrast, Eakins sought to celebrate the teachings, and work of the doctor and did this by way of including the crowd that stood witness to the surgery. He wanted to show how intrigued audience members were of the procedure being performed, more so than the sort of solitude of Rembrandt’s piece. Furthermore, Rembrandt focused more on the actual subject of the surgery; whereas, Eakins focus was more that of the audience’s reaction to the surgery. For this to be accomplished, Rembrandt omitted obscure details surrounding the “event”, while Eakins emphasis was the detail surrounding the event. Rembrandt almost dulled the backdrop to a feeling of blankness. On the other hand, Eakins filled the entire canvas with details of the teaching – even including himself in the doorway. Additionally, the stark difference that I find most intriguing is the fact that differences in medical procedures were an emphasis for both artists. For instance, the participants of Dr. Tulp’s are clearly in the midst of a lesson which is shown by way of the doctor holding the tendons of the hand a medical instrument, and there is a book present. On the contrary, lighter colors were used in Eakins piece to highlight the advancements of sterility. Additionally, there is no assistant shown in Rembrandt’s piece, whereas there is a nursing assistant shown in Eakins painting. This to me points out the differences in

This painting is brutal in that it leaves you wondering how the patient is doing seeing all the blood, as well as seeing the blood in general it’s intense, and a bit violent to the eye for the woman sitting in the background. There is a lot of highlighting and shadowing to illuminate the focus of the painting and to add an illusion of depth to the classroom.

The work depicts

painting which also ties into the scene being set at night in the darkness. Contrast is used well to

By looking back at historical depictions of women in similar compositions, but putting her in a contemporary setting and contemporary role of prostitute flips the script for contemporary historical painting. This painting asks the question as to why this nude woman was met with such distaste when there were many other nudes in the Salon labelled as genre