Artists You Should Know: Thomas Eakins

This week we'll spend a few minutes with the esteemed American painter, Thomas Eakins. A young reader named Taylor wants to know, " ... is it true he wasn't successful while he was alive?" Yes Taylor, it is true. He painted around 300 paintings, but only 25 or so were commissions, and a lot of people panned on his work. Some clients would even commission a portrait and then refuse the final result. He also worked extensively with that crazy new medium, photography, which wasn't a great way to gain respect in The Art World.

In fact, the best bill-paying day job Eakins ever had was at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he worked his way up the ladder of success. Alas, in a Life Drawing class - which included female students - he was overcome with frustration at inadequate anatomy studies and whisked away one final modesty barrier from the male model. Arrr Taylor, some sez 'twas a loincloth what done his career in. (For once, some are pretty accurate.) Thanks for writing and asking questions, and good luck with your schoolwork.