Flesh, Blood, and Brains

Soon we’ll make the connection between the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s conservation treatment of Thomas Eakins’ The Gross Clinic and my own concerns about caring for the oil paintings in our family collection.  But first I thought I’d indulge in a few completely amateur thoughts on the greatness of The Gross Clinic.

Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic), 1875.  (Post-conservation, 2010).
Thomas Eakins, American, 1844-1916.  Oil on canvas, 8 feet x 6 feet 6 inches (243.8 x 198.1 cm).
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of the Alumni Association to Jefferson Medical College in 1878
and purchased by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
with the generous support of more than 3,500 donors, 2007.
Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Detail: The Gross Clinic
by Thomas Eakins.

Follow the light.  While much of the room is dark, bright natural light shines down from above to highlight the areas where Eakins wants us to look closer.  The light illuminates the bare thigh of the patient, the deep incision, and the vivid spurt of blood.

Equally important as the flesh and blood, the light reflects off the forehead of Dr. Samuel Gross, physician and teacher.  For Dr. Gross, the light functions as a visual cue equivalent to a halo in a religious painting.  But this is the very antithesis of a religious painting, and it is Dr. Gross who is leading us out of darkness through his unflinching dedication to rationality—the world of science and medicine.

Detail: The Gross Clinic
by Thomas Eakins.

This is medicine practiced rigorously, unsentimentally.  Eakins’ brilliant use of subtle tones, dramatic lighting, and the meticulous staging of a wide variety of seemingly casual figures combine to bring a Rembrandt-like approach to the heady intellectual urban world of Philadelphia, one of the world’s leading scientific centers in 1875.

Within the picture itself, Eakins offers a range of possible responses to the conspicuously bloody operation.  Most notably, a woman withdraws in theatrical horror to the left of Dr. Gross.  Curiously, this was the initial reaction of many critics when the painting was first displayed at Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition in 1876.  These critics were so offended by the realistic depiction of the flesh and blood that they missed the grace note of Dr. Gross.  Eakins celebrates the clear-headed determination of men of science like Dr. Gross, leading the next generation toward the medical advances of the twentieth century that would save countless lives and relieve much unnecessary suffering.  You can’t get there if you throw your hands over your eyes in horror.  Eakins calls us to examine life closely, without flinching.

The special exhibition “An Eakins Masterpiece Restored: Seeing The Gross Clinic Anew” can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Perelman Building) through January 9.  Treat yourself to one more gift this season and add a visit to your holiday schedule!

© 2010 Lee Price

Learning from the Masters

In one my favorite June and Art letters, my mother said, "I must be a very musty character, liking museums like this."

Like mother, like son.  I love museums.  I hate to think that means I'm a very musty character, but I guess there's a chance.

Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic),
1875.  Thomas Eakins, American, 1844-1916.
Oil on canvas, 8 feet x 6 feet 6 inches.
Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum
of Art.

Since I live near Philadelphia, my favorite hang-out is the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Therefore, as my thoughts turn toward appropriate care for the oil paintings in our family collection, I find myself considering the highest levels of care that are practiced at my hometown museum.

Through January 9 (so you’d better rush out there!), the Philadelphia Museum of Art is celebrating the conservation treatment of Thomas Eakins’ monumental painting The Gross Clinic in a special exhibition in the Perelman Building.  As I visited there recently and learned about the recent work that went into conserving Eakins’ great painting, my mind kept skipping back to thoughts of my family collection.

I decided to make the story of the conservation of The Gross Clinic a touchstone for a two-week exploration of the care and treatment of oil paintings.  Some friends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art have volunteered to help me out with advice along the way.

Much as I like The Gross Clinic (and I like it very, very much!), I thought I’d start by sharing my long-term favorite painting at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  It’s a painting that has also benefited from a major conservation treatment (back in the early 1990s in this case).  This is Rogier van der Weyden’s 15th century masterpiece Crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John:



The Crucifixion, with the Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist Mourning,
c. 1460. Rogier van der Weyden, Netherlandish, 1399/1400-1464.
Oil on panel. Left panel: 71 x 36 15/16 inches; right panel: 71 x 36 7/16 inches.
Image courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

Just wanted an excuse to share that!  On Wednesday, we’ll return to the real matter at hand, Eakins’ The Gross Clinic and the proper care and conservation of oil paintings.

© 2010 Lee Price