Rear Admiral George W. Melville 1905

Thomas Eakins painted Rear Admiral George W. Melville, in oil, using a very traditional approach to portraiture. What strikes me is the dark background. Against it, the Admiral is illuminated, his face rendered with careful attention to light and shadow. The paint is applied in thin layers, creating a smooth surface that almost disappears; it feels more like looking at the man himself, rather than a painting of him. Look closely at the Admiral’s hands. See how Eakins used subtle gradations of color to capture the texture of the skin and the way the light catches on his knuckles? It's the kind of detail that invites you to slow down and really look, not just at the subject, but at the act of painting itself. I think of Manet's portraits when I see this. Both artists were interested in capturing the essence of their subjects through direct observation and careful attention to detail, revealing artmaking as a process that embraces both precision and ambiguity.