Masculinity In The Village Blacksmith By Thomas Hovenden

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While America was just in its infancy during the late eighteenth century and into the nineteenth century, expanding and competing for its own national identity, there were ideals of manhood competing for dominance amidst the chaos. A couple of notions of masculinity were brought to the New World straight from Europe; the idea that men were to work hard for success and value family, while others maintained wealth and landownership as the characteristics of a man. However, the eminence of industrialization soon made these notions obsolete. Without these longstanding notions, American men were left in a crisis without an identity. It is within this framework that specific paintings serve as material expressions and vehicles for gendering beliefs and constructs.
One of the oldest traditions of masculinity was the notion of the craftsman/artisan who embraced his civic duties that were often passed down from one generation to the next. The painting The Village Blacksmith (1875) by Thomas Hovenden portrays the dedication and grittiness of the heroic artisan in a realistic portrait form. With his sweaty and gritty appearance, sleeves rolled up and hand on his hip, the bearded man depicts the attitude of a proud craftsman, immersed in his work. As he stands over the fire with tools in hand, the smoke fills the air, viewers can sense the assiduity as he toils away in his dark, cramped shop. For the artisan, masculinity was independence and self-reliance, making him a respected citizen. Most important to the artisan was the community and family. Rarely did artisans hire strangers. Instead, they hired sons of neighbors and friends, teaching them the secrets of the guild while most importantly initiating them into manhood. These characterist...

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...actions, since it takes dexterity and skill of hands to make proper incisions. In addition, the highlight on Dr. Gross' forehead could emphasize it takes knowledge to perform the surgery. It gives shape to the importance of the unification of mind and body as he performs a risky surgery for the audience. Meanwhile, in the background a woman (perhaps the mother of the patient) recoils in horror and awe of the operation. The inclusion of the female emphasizes this as being the place of men, establishing a notion of commanding masculinity.
This set off the movement of idealization and using the body as a performance of masculinity. Another painting by Eakins, Frank Hamilton Cushing (1895), emblematized that the West is a place for reinvention. Frank Hamilton Cushing was one of the first American anthropologist to observe and chronicle the lives of Native Americans.

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