Summary Of The Painting 'Portrait Of Samuel D. Gross Clinic'

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Leah Hillegas
Professor Finkel
PAC801
12 October 2015
Portrait of Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic)
Observation
As I entered the Philadelphia Museum of Art unsure of where to find an artifact that held a significant relationship to Philadelphia, I came across a large and brightly lit maroon room; with dozens of paintings among the walls that were featured in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. While observing the historical pieces in the room, one painting stood out from all the others in the room. Hanging eight feet by six feet six inches was Thomas Eakins most famous painting: Portrait of Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic). The large scaled painting depicts a vivid scene of Dr. Gross himself teaching a team of five doctorate …show more content…

Painting a majority of his works in Philadelphia, no other artist in Philadelphia’s history has shaped the city into what we know, and formulated all his pieces around the city. Aside from the work being painted in Philadelphia and depicting a local artist, this work was created solely for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Organized to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this exhibition included all painting that represented the century of American progress in industry and …show more content…

Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic) is without a doubt an iconic painting. Although it is not a typical styled portrait one is used to seeing, there is a reason that Eakins decided to include the operation progressing before him. The incorporation of the surgery, the doctors, and the medical instruments provides a specific direction of what the subjects intellect is geared towards—in this case, Dr. Gross’s intellect was geared towards medical studies—Dr. Gross is portrayed in a heroic, almost God like manner due to the use of highlights making Dr. Gross appear as he has more light shining down on him than anyone else in the room. This attribute of the painting depicts more than just the life of person; it also shows what the sitter strived to do in the larger community. This painting provides cultural significance to the city of Philadelphia, as it was created to celebrate a local doctor, as well as glorify all the advancements the city had made in the century following the signing of the Declaration of

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