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What subjects did Thomas Eakins teach at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts?
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Thomas Eakins
Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic), oil on canvas by Thomas Eakins, 1875; part of the collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Art Museum. 2 Ć 2.5 m.
At the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Thomas Eakins served as a professor of drawing and painting, a position he held starting in 1879.1
As an influential educator, Eakins emphasized the importance of anatomy and the practice of drawing from live, nude models. He prioritized these methods over the traditional academic approach of studying plaster casts of antique sculpture. His commitment to these teaching methods eventually led to his resignation in 1886, following objections regarding his use of nude models in mixed classes.1