The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull)1871
Max Schmitt, a champion rower and boyhood friend of the painter, rests on his oars on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, turning towards us in low autumn light, while behind him Eakins himself pulls away in another scull, his name inscribed on its stern. More about this work
About this work
Max Schmitt, a champion rower and boyhood friend of the painter, rests on his oars on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, turning towards us in low autumn light, while behind him Eakins himself pulls away in another scull, his name inscribed on its stern. Bridges span the river in the distance. Painted in 1871, soon after Eakins returned from his training in Paris, it was the first of his many pictures of rowing, a sport he practised and studied closely. The precise perspective, worked out in careful drawings, and the stillness of the water show his scientific approach to realism.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
Thomas Eakins
American, 1844–1916 · Born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Eakins studied in Paris under Jean-Léon Gérôme and was impressed in Spain by Velázquez and Ribera, then returned to Philadelphia, where he spent his life. He painted rowers, boxers and his city’s doctors and scholars with a frank realism grounded in anatomy, perspective and, later, photography. A demanding teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, he was forced to resign in 1886 over his use of nude models. Max Schmitt in a Single Scull was the first of his rowing pictures.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 34.92
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- The American Wing
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
