EAKINS THOMAS - ABSOLUTE MALE (Hb): The Absolute Male - Tapa dura

Often criticized during his lifetime for his insistence on studying and painting the male nude, accomplished draftsman, anatomist, and artist Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) is now acclaimed as one of America's greatest realist painters. Eakins believed in a classical approach to art, and made no compromises with the mores of his time. His insistence on having female students draw from live male nude models caused him to be dismissed from one important teaching post and created a storm of controversy which substantially hurt his career. Only at the end of his life was his work fully recognized as equal to that of some of the great European old masters. Taken from collections across the globe, this book features a stunning collection of drawings, paintings, and photographs of Eakins's male nudes, which showcase the artist's immense and still influential skill in rendering the male form. A major Eakins retrospective will be at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the spring of 2002.

John Esten has created and designed many books on art, photography, and interior design. A former art director at Harper's Bazaar and L'Officiel USA magazine, he has been guest curator at the Guild Hall Museum in East Hampton, New York, and at the International Center of Photography in New York City. His previous titles include Sargent: Painting Out of Doors, John Singer Sargent: The Male Nudes, and Why Don't You.