Romanticism brought out the heroism
of Modern life. As the middle class had
entered into the limelight of artistic interest, the problem of otherwise
boring subjects were met with passionately exaggerated imagery of chivalry,
valor, and courage. In an increasingly
industrial age, when most of the English middle class's daily routine consisted
of the highly regimented monotony of unskilled labor, the Romantic artist
sought to instill a spirit of grandeur and adventure into the otherwise
ordinary mundaneness of life. And
although there are some elements of Realism in these paintings (graphic imagery
or more honest subject matter), it's setting a precedent of greater weight than
what it depicts. Everyday events brought
out the dignity of the common man and the honor in basic human behavior.
So we see Thomas Eakins The Gross
Clinic as a Romantic exemplar. Here we
see the dramatic lighting of Géricault's Raft of the Medusa translated into the
very ordinary setting of a clinical auditorium.
The figures (probably medical students) sitting in the stands fall back
into the darkness, and all light rains down on the doctor after whom the
painting is named (no, it's not called "Gross" because he has blood
on his fingers; the doctor's name was Gross).
He is the stateliest figure, a picture of stalwart authority and wisdom,
unflinching, and wholly professional in demeanor. One viewer sitting to the side, an older
lady, shrinks back in alarm at the profuse amount of blood involved in the
operation, but the brave doctor carries on with the procedure with unwavering
fortitude. His fellow staff members work
diligently on the body being dissected, handling their responsibilities very
seriously so as not to injure the patient—but also so as not to injure their
professional standing with the doctor.
He is their boss; he is the future generation's instructor and model;
and he is perhaps the savior of this patient's life. Risen to such a level, we can but admire the
dignity of this most honorable doctor who is lit from above with a most
dramatic lighting, as from heaven itself.
Perhaps a saint, definitely a hero, and most clearly a man, this
otherwise common Pennsylvanian doctor here becomes immortalized under the
artistic style of Romantic painting.
Painted in 1875, this late Romantic painting is considered Thomas
Eakins' masterpiece as well as a masterpiece of late Romantic and Realist art.
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