A Singer c. 1906

Thomas Eakins made this oil painting, A Singer, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Eakins was deeply interested in the human form, and the processes by which one might represent it on canvas. You can see how he built up the figure through layers of paint, almost like a sculptor working in clay. Look at the thickness of the application, especially around the singer’s face and shoulder. And consider the color palette: the predominance of earth tones, the dark shadows behind the figure. These choices reflect the seriousness with which Eakins approached his task. He was also fascinated by the working classes and the culture of everyday life. This is not a portrait of a star, but of a working singer. In his focus on the process of painting, and on the life of laboring people, Eakins blurred the lines between fine art and craft. He reminds us that all artistic creation is, at some level, a form of work.