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
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students at Jefferson Medical College’s surgical amphitheater. Dr. Gross is depicted as leading an operation on the left thigh of a patient. Aside from the setting of the painting, there is a squeamish woman shielding her eyes to the left of Dr. Gross, a muted amphitheater audience, a team of five doctors, and a man documenting the surgery before him. Within the painting, Dr. Gross appears to be looking off into the distance, with a bloody scalpel at hand, with a look of successful completion on his face. Meanwhile, the five doctors assisting the surgery appear to be either gazing up at Dr. Gross, as if he is a Godly presence, or down on the patients thigh, satisfied that they completed the surgery successfully with Dr. Gross. Furthermore, the oil based painting utilizes dramatic shadow, with a small use of highlights on Dr. Gross and his team. For example, within the piece, the only light present is being shone down on the surgical table, Dr. Gross, and his team of men; bringing the viewers eye to see the surgery taking place before them and the world renowned doctor first. Aside from the use of shadows, the brush strokes on this painting were extremely thick, with an appearing smooth surface. This painting depicts a frightening scene in gory, realistic detail. The bright red blood coloring the surgeon’s hands, and the gruesome incision create a scene unlike the typical artistic style of the time period. Context After the general observation of the Portrait of Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic), and some in depth research, the basis of the painting became easier to understand. This infamous piece depicts Dr. Samuel D. Gross teaching a team of five doctors at Jefferson Medical College’s surgical amphitheater in the year 1875 in order to explain and show a new medical advancement of the time and to help train doctors to treat these cases on their own. The new medical advancement in the image glorifies one of Gross’s areas of expertise: the removal of dead tissue in the thighbone of a patient suffering from a bone infection. Dr. Samuel D. Gross, a star student at Jefferson Medical College, was one of the school’s first graduates and among one of the greatest professors there. His procedure exemplifies a recent breakthrough in medical knowledge; achieved by the newfound understanding of how the body heals itself and anatomy. Within this painting, the two most essential parts to the painting are Dr. Gross himself, and the surgery happening before him. Moreover, the people in the painting are not just random figures, they are important people as well. The squeamish woman shielding her eyes is said to be the patient’s mother, who is unable to watch her child undergo surgery. Behind the woman, the man sitting at the podium documenting the moment is said to be Thomas Eakins himself, drawing out what is going on in front of him. At the surgical table, the five men in the painting are Chief of Clinic, Dr. James M. Barton, who is leaning over the patient, probing the incision, junior assistant Dr. Charles S. Briggs, gripping the patient’s thigh, Dr. Daniel M. Appel, keeping the incision open with a retractor, Dr. W. Joseph Hearn, the anesthetist, holding a chloroform soaked cloth over the patients face, and lastly, clinic clerk, Dr. Franklin West, records the proceedings. A Philadelphia native, Thomas Eakins was a painter of portraits who held a deep connection to his birthplace; making it a common theme throughout his artwork.
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…
arts. Acclaimed one of the most highly regarded American artworks of the nineteenth century, Portrait of Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic) has been not only viewed by the public, it has also been used to teach medical students; connecting it to historical anatomy lessons due to the notable presence of a doctor performing a life-saving surgery on a patient. Also, scholars have acclaimed this piece to be a heroic portrait of a surgical leader, a commentary on the relationship between writing and painting in the nineteenth century, an insight about gender and sexuality in the nineteenth century, and lastly, an icon of American art. Eakins’ painting developed a strong argument that any American painting could be just as sophisticated as European artwork. Analysis Portrait of Dr.
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
Independence. Furthermore, this painting simply infers to all the scientific achievements that the United States made as their first century as a nation. Before the centennial, industrialization was booming, and immigration was at an all-time high. Eakins chose to portray Dr. Gross in his painting because he represented the old values of the city—discipline, rationality, and morality—which would preserve the educational, scientific, and professional traditions in the city, and would help the city stay the way citizens wanted it to be in the future. As stated before, dramatic lighting is Eakins strongest tool. His use of dramatic lighting adds deep emotion to the scene due to the colors used, the detail of the painting, and the sharp focus; emphasizing the conditions in the operating room during the nineteenth century. Eakins chose Dr. Gross as the subject of his painting because he was the worlds most renowned surgeon at the time period; discovering new techniques in the medical world. Also, Eakins chose Dr. Samuel D. Gross for this painting because he admired the famous doctor. As previously stated, Eakins featured himself in the painting, as the man who was observing the scene before him. Prior to this painting being created, Eakins attended several of Dr. Gross’s lectures and also held a strong relationship with the team at Jefferson Medical College. From his painting, it is evident Eakins was a fan of the scientific community, and wanted more people to know about the amazing advancements happening in it; which is why he wanted to paint Dr. Gross for the centennial. What made this work of art so special was the fact that it depicted a gory, detailed scene, and there were not many other paintings in the centennial like this (other than the other works of Eakins featured). Portrait of Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic) received harsh criticisms as well, which made it more memorable and more special to the centennial. Overall, Eakins painting developed a strong relation to the city of Philadelphia, and still holds its significance today. Bibliography “A Portrait of Ambition: Eakins, The Gross Clinic, and the American Centennial” and “The Gross Clinic in Philadelphia and New York, 1875-1879,” by K. A. Foster, in An Eakins Masterpiece Restored: Seeing ‘The Gross Clinic’ Anew, edited by Kathleen A. Foster and Mark S. Tucker (Phila: Phila Museum of Art, 2012), pp. 35-42 and 71-82. "Fact Sheet: The Gross Clinic." Fact Sheet: The Gross Clinic. 21 Dec. 2006. Web. 7 Oct. 2015. Holzman, Laura. "Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia." Gross Clinic (The). Web. 7 Oct. 2015. Johns, Elizabeth. “Thomas Eakins, the Heroism of Modern Life.” 1937. Print. 11 Oct. 2015. "Khan Academy." Khan Academy. Web. 8 Oct. 2015. "Philadelphia Museum of Art - Research : Conservation." Philadelphia Museum of Art - Research : Conservation. Web. 7 Oct. 2015. Wilkin, Karen. "This Exhibition Lays Bare the Painter's Intentions." WSJ. 29 July 2010. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
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Third Impressionist exhibition in Paris, held in 1877. Currently displayed in the Art Institute of
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9. Bouguereau, William A. Psyche et L'Amour. 1889. Private Collection. Art In the Picture. 2014. 25 Jan. 2014 .
Wolanin, Barbara A.. Dykstra, Gretchen, ed. Mary G. L. Hood and Philadelphia Modernism. n.p.: Woodmere Art Museum, 2011. Print.
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