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Why did Thomas Eakins resign from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1886?
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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.
Thomas Eakins resigned from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1886 due to mounting public and institutional pressure regarding his teaching methods.1
As a professor of drawing and painting, Eakins insisted on the use of live, nude models for his students, prioritizing the study of anatomy over traditional methods like copying plaster casts. While he viewed the relationship between artist and model as a professional and objective one, critics outside the academy objected to his use of nude models in front of mixed-gender classes. Despite his popularity and influence as an instructor, these controversies ultimately forced his resignation.1