The Gross Clinic
Thomas Eakins · 1875
Why it's great
A famous surgeon pauses in an operating theater to explain a procedure to a room of students, his hand bloody. Eakins's honest picture showed modern science. Many in 1875 found the realism hard to look at. Today it's seen as one of the greatest American paintings.
Where to see it
📍 Philadelphia Museum of ArtPhiladelphia, United States
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Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
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Thomas Eakins was born in Philadelphia and lived there nearly all his life. He studied anatomy and photography so his paintings of people, rowers and surgeons would be true to life. His honest realism upset some people, but is now praised. He taught art in Philadelphia and died there in 1916.
