Today, Eakins' drawings are elegant reminders of the importance of this medium in the art of America's most celebrated nineteenth-century portrait painter. Fleming Museum is proud to bring Eakins' work to the state for the first time. Curated by Amy Werbel, Associate Professor of Fine Arts at St. Michael's College, this exhibition was organized from the Charles Bregler Collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. As the son of a Philadelphia calligrapher, Thomas Eakins acquired exquisite penmanship skills in his early years.
Later drawings are investigative, instructive, and preparatory.
Oil studies made for similar purposes demonstrate the interesting contrasts between Eakins' linear and painterly styles. In addition to documenting Eakins' study and practice as an artist, Process on Paper tells the fascinating story of Charles Bregler, who rescued hundreds of drawings, manuscripts, and photographs from Thomas Eakins' studio before its sale in 1938. Bregler sold a few of the objects from his collection, but kept the vast majority of it out of public view. The Bregler Collection, now fully catalogued and conserved, has revolutionized understanding of Eakins' art and life, in particular by expanding the number of known drawings by Eakins fourfold. The 23 drawings and 7 oil sketches in Process on Paper will be on view from February 11 through June 3.