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Why are Thomas Eakins’s outdoor scenes considered carefully planned rather than casual?

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Thomas Eakins: Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic) — 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 × 2.5 m.

Thomas Eakins’s outdoor scenes are considered carefully planned rather than casual because of the rigorous technical precision he applied to their composition. Although these works appear natural and informal at first glance, Eakins meticulously constructed them using a perspective grid, ensuring that every object was precisely located within the pictorial space.1

This deliberate approach was rooted in Eakins’s background in science and mathematics, as well as his commitment to absolute integrity and anatomy. By combining this mathematical structure with his personal, intimate knowledge of the subjects—such as the specific mechanics of rowing or hunting—he was able to convey the concentrated energy and physical equilibrium of the moment. Consequently, while the scenes depict the world he knew best, they are the result of a calculated effort to capture the essence of human locomotion and action through disciplined artistic control.231