Thomas Eakins' Spanish Sojourn

Since I am now here in Madrid I do not regret at all my coming. I have seen big painting here. When I had looked at all the paintings by all the masters I had known I could not help saying to myself all the time, its very pretty but its not all yet. It ought to be better, but now I have seen what I always thought ought to have been done & what did not seem to me impossible. O what a satisfaction it gave me to see the good Spanish work so good so strong so reasonable so free from every affectation. It stands out like nature itself.Thomas Eakins, in a letter to his father, Benjamin, 2 December 2 1869



Locations
Participants

Timeline

Y/M/D Description Place
1869/00/00 I am going to Spain, I have been pretty sick here in spite of my precautions against the weather and feel worn out. I will go straight to Madrid, stay a few days to see the pictures and then go to Seville. - TE letter to his father
1869/00/00 Eakins studies in the private atelier of portrait painter Leon Bonnat. Bonnat encourages Eakins to go to Spain to see Spanish paintings.
1869/11/29 Tom Eakins boards a train for Madrid. His first stop will be the Prado, to see the work of the Spanish masters.
1869/12/00 Let us ever divide things up so as to get as strong a start as possible. This is the way I think The Tapestry Weaver was painted, the finest piece of painting I have ever seen. - Thomas Eakins' notebook Museo del Prado, Madrid, Madrid
1869/12/00 In Titian's picture the 'rain' on Danae and the thigh of the female show cracking in the light areas, but the shadows, which are very dark and strongly colored, do not show any at all... - Thomas Eakins' notebook Museo del Prado, Madrid, Madrid
1869/12/02 Since I am now here in Madrid I do not regret at all my coming. I have seen big painting here. When I had looked at all the paintings by all the masters I had known I could not help saying to myself all the time, its very pretty but its not all yet. - TE
1870/01/00 After, Thomas Eakins spends the winter in Seville, Spain. Seville, ES-AN, Andalusia, ES

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