Artwork
The Biglin Brothers Turning the Stake
The Biglin Brothers Turning the Stake is an oil painting by the Realist artist Thomas Eakins. It dates from 1873 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Executed in oil on canvas in 1873, the painting presents the Biglin brothers in a rowing shell as they execute a turn around a stake during a race.
Executed in oil on canvas in 1873, the painting presents the Biglin brothers in a rowing shell as they execute a turn around a stake during a race. The title identifies the brothers and the maneuver, while the work’s catalog entry notes that it shows a boat. Together these sources indicate the scene captures a moment of competitive rowing, highlighting the brothers’ coordination and the sport’s dynamics of American athletics.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas, the work measures 101.3 cm in height and 151.4 cm in width. Eakins employed a naturalistic style, rendering the rowers with anatomical precision and capturing the dynamic tension of the turning moment through tautened limbs and rippling water. The handling balances broad, descriptive passages of the river and sky with meticulous detail in the figures’ musculature and the boat’s woodwork.
The composition’s clarity and the careful orchestration of light and shadow underscore Eakins’s study of movement and form, aligning with his academic training and later interest in photography.
History & Provenance
The painting was created in 1873 by Thomas Eakins, as documented by the work’s inception date and the artist’s known practice during that period.
It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1984, accessioned as 1984.1927. The museum has retained ownership since that date.
Overview
Thomas Eakins, an American realist painter, completed The Biglin Brothers Turning the Stake in 1873. This oil painting captures a dynamic rowing competition, featuring two oarsmen navigating a boat on a river. The work is held in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art, representing a key example of Eakins' early career focus on athletic subjects and precise observation.
Context
Throughout his career, which began in the early 1870s and continued until his health declined decades later, Thomas Eakins consistently depicted the people and activities of his native Philadelphia. This painting exemplifies his early engagement with contemporary life and athleticism, themes he explored through a rigorous, observational approach. His dedication to portraying local subjects with authenticity became a hallmark of his artistic output.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator.
