Individual Blog #1

Thomas Eakins' The Biglin Brothers Turning the Stake is a great example of an artist's use of axes to organize and move one's eye through a painting. The obvious horizontal axes of the horizon and boats in the background create a calming effect, reinforced by the shimmering stillness of the water. In contrast, the slightly diagonal boat in the foreground adds a bit of movement and interest into the painting; one can almost see the two men rowing past and out of the frame. Additionally, Eakins uses the perpendicular lines of the flagpole and the boat to draw the viewer's eye to the focal points, the rowing Biglin brothers. Eakins also does this with color, for the deep, royal blue of the flag and the men's hats are the same, and the tip of the flag seems to be pointing at the brothers. The reflections of the men also draw one's eye up to their actual forms. Another notable technique is Eakins' impressive illusion of depth and atmospheric perspective. The textured, hazy clouds and trees in the background create movement and really emphasize the clearer lines of the two men.

While looking at this painting, I began to notice an enormous amount of triangles, most of which I have outlined in the picture below. They all seem to contain or point to the focal point, the Biglin brothers. According to Horowitz, a triangular composition is evidence that "the painter has gathered random movements into a moment of perfection."  I thought it was interesting!

Using Prown's ideas about Material Culture and looking at the painting objectively, one can determine several things from this work. First, the realistic and skillful use of perspective, line, and form indicate that Eakins was trained in his profession, showing the viewer that the artist must have lived in a society that supports and/or values artistic endeavors. There is a steaming ship in the background of the painting, indicating that the work was created in an industrially-advanced time period and a rather prosperous country. Additionally, the event that the painting portrays and the large crowd in the background are indicative that the artist lived in a culture where there was an emphasis on sports and recreational activities. This again insinuates a wealthy country because a person in poor living conditions would likely have not experienced an event such as this.