Study for an Arcadian 1910

Thomas Eakins made this monochrome painting called "Study for an Arcadian" with oil on canvas. The painting has this raw, immediate energy, like a snapshot of a thought. Eakins is wrestling with light and shadow, trying to capture the weight of the figure. The painting feels like an open process. Look at the way Eakins blocks in the shapes with these confident strokes, so much is left undefined. The contrast between the light reflecting off the back and the dark background makes the figure glow, but also makes it feel like it's emerging from nothing. The scrubby marks around the figure are like he's trying to pull the form out of the darkness. Eakins reminds me of Manet, who also liked to paint modern figures in a classical way, playing with the tension between realism and something more idealized. Both artists let you see the process, letting the painting be a record of its own making.