Thomas Eakins

Eakins, Thomas (1844–1916), U.S. realist painter. Eakins studied in Philadelphia and abroad, and went on to teach at the Philadelphia Academy. His teaching influenced the painters William Glackens, Robert Henri, and John Sloan. Considered a master portraitist, his most famous portraits include Walt Whitman, The Thinker, and the group portraits The Clinic of Dr. Gross and The Clinic of Dr. Agnew. Eakins placed great emphasis on the study of anatomy and perspective. Among his most famous paintings of sporting events are Max Schmitt in a Single Hull and Between Rounds. Eakins, who was also a sculptor, helped develop photographic techniques for studying the human body in motion.