The Crucifixion by Thomas Eakins

Thomas Eakins' breathtaking depiction of the Christ

In this masterpiece of 19th century American Realism, Eakins dramatically portrays the Christ as awkwardly suspended between two realms: the elevated and perfect spiritual realm and the dirty, mundane physical realm. Below the Son of God is the grime of the world, which has soiled his feet. But above the waist the body of Christ is almost serene in its pose, the head delicately bowed in submission to the inevitable.

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In many ways, The Crucifixion has a deliberately unresolved quality. Eakins starkly contrasts the dirt and grit of the bottom of the painting with the divine calm expressed by the upper body and bowed head. Additionally, Eakins positions the viewer at the center of the body rather than at the traditional perspective from the feet. In fact, Eakins appears to demystify the traditional subject purposefully, infusing the scene with an earthly reality: this is an essentially human Jesus being executed by the Romans.

About the Artist:

Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins remains one of the most important of all American artists. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he began at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1861 at the age of seventeen years. In 1866 he left to study in Europe for four years where he studied in Paris under Jean-Leon Gerome and in Spain attempted his first large paintings.

Returning to Philadelphia at twenty-six, he began producing paintings which garnered him some acclaim. In 1876, he volunteered to teach at the Pennsylvania Academy and within six years he was director of the academy. His progressive teaching methods earned the Academy a reputation as one of the most advanced in the world by the 1880s. His liberal views, however, caused a split with the Academy in 1886, inspiring the creation of the alternative Art Students’ League of Philadelphia, where Eakins taught until 1898. He died in 1916.

The Crucifixion:

The Crucifixion is yet another of example of a hallmark of all of Eakins’ work: realistic depictions of the imperfections that exist in the real world. Eakins’ preoccupation with depicting the gritty reality of the crucifixion flew in the face of traditional images, which prior depicted the scene in a more ethereal manner. When the painting was first unveiled, women are said to have fainted at the sight.

Yet despite the gritty realism, Christ’s body is depicted as calm in the midst of agony and pain. This can be seen in the contrast between the smooth lines of the corpus and the jagged writing of the superscription above Jesus’ head. In this way, Eakins has successfully depicted Christ as both more human and more transcendent.

Many consider this to be Eakins’ greatest work, and we are proud to offer reproductions of this American masterpiece by one of the most important of American artists.