A Street Scene in Seville
Eakins, the acclaimed Philadelphia realist, produced this ambitious multifigure work while still a student. Traveling in Spain, he set up an easel on the roof of his Seville hotel to paint what he described as "the most difficult kind of a picture"—a subject in full sunlight. Eakins hired a family of street musicians, the Requeñas, to pose for him; the daughter, Carmelita, also inspired a spirited oil sketch (1979.135.2). The artist worked on the larger painting for more than three months, challenging himself to adapt his rigorous academic practice to the outdoors.
Artwork Details
- Title: A Street Scene in Seville
- Artist: Thomas Eakins (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1844–1916 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- Date: 1870
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 62 3/4 × 42 in. (159.4 × 106.7 cm)
Framed: 70 1/2 × 50 in. (179.1 × 127 cm) - Credit Line: Gift of the Wolf Family, in honor of Erving and Joyce Wolf, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.562
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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Thomas Eakins
1880s
Thomas Eakins
1880s
Thomas Eakins
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Thomas Eakins
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Thomas Eakins
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