Introduction:
The portrait of ‘The Gross Clinic’ or the portrait of Samuel D Gross is a famous portrait of Dr Samuel Gross painted by the American artist Thomas Eakins. It depicts Dr Samuel D Gross, a professor attired in a black coat as lectures a group of students at the Jefferson Medical School. The painting is intriguing as it also includes a self-portrait of Eakins himself, seated at the right of the canvas writing some notes. The clinic clerk, Dr Franklin West also features prominently in the painting. The portrait is signed by the artist and the signature appears on the front of the surgical table. It is quite a large painting, measuring 8 feet by 6 and a half feet and shows Dr Gross as magnanimous and in an almost kindly pose although he is performing a medical procedure in full view of his students.
The Gross Clinic initially caused quite a stir when it was first exhibited. In fact it was the first painting to show what surgery looked like and this graphic description with blood on the hands of the professor elicited considerable shock when first viewed. This was primarily due to the fact that few held surgery in high esteem since it was seen as a science connected to amputation. In this painting, Gross seems to be performing an operation on a young man, something which was actually witnessed by Eakins himself and which shows the skill of the great surgeon. The painting contains various real life elements such as surgeons crowding around the patient in their white coats busy performing their rather thankless tasks as a class of students looks on anxiously.
Initial reactions to the painting show that it is quite realistic in every sense but also has a certain dignity and drama. In fact, the depiction of a woman who appears to be inconsiderable distress contrasts greatly with the professional demeanour of the surgeons who are going about their work in a professional and highly clinical manner. The painting was criticised for its rather uncompromising realism as it showed an operation in full view, something which was not readily accepted at the time.
In style, ‘The Gross Clinic’ is very often compared to Eakins’ later painting called ‘The Agnew Clinic’ where we have a graphic description of a brighter and much cleaner surgical operating theatre. In a medical form, both paintings instruct on the importance of hygiene in surgical operations and interventions. The portrait of Dr Samuel Gross is also noticeable for the absence of any female figure in the procedure, something which is rectified in The Agnew Clinic painting where a nurse is inserted into proceedings also demonstrating the advancement in dealing with infection. There is also a certain goriness about the painting which shows the procedure in a stark and uncompromising way.
Critical reaction to the painting was initially negative not for the technique in it but principally for the fact that it was perhaps too realistic for the time’s tastes. In fact the critic for The Philadelphia Evening Telegraph described the painting as "There is nothing so fine in the American section of the Art Department of the Exhibition, and it is a great pity that the squeamishness of the Selecting Committee compelled the artist to find a place for it in the United States Hospital building”.
Art critics found the painting compelling and very realistic. Some newspaper articles focused on the blood which appears on Dr Gross’ fingers which adds to the realism and directness of the painting, making it wildly sensationalist according to some. There was also considerable controversy on the painting’s violence which describes a surgical intervention with considerable detail and graphic imagery. The depiction of blood on Dr Gross’ fingers was something astonishingly innovative for the time as it demonstrated the gruesome realities of surgical procedures which were something of an unknown quantity to the American public.
The painting is truly powerful and intriguing. There is an almost Rembrandt like quality to it depicting a surgical intervention and some paintings do come to mind when it is viewed such as ‘The Toilet of Bathsheba’. Again the aesthetic qualities of the subject are clearly idealized here with emphasis on the nudity of the woman and her plump beauty in this respect which comes to the fore especially with the dark background and intrinsic subject matter. The plays of darkness with the colour of the woman’s skin are something which Eakins’ also brings out in his painting where the subject who is being operated upon has a whitish and yellowish hue. The expression of Samuel Gross is full of noble demeanour as he goes about performing his tasks and the almost lifelike depiction of the surgical procedure is very realistic. The bold brushwork used by Eakins continues to emphasise the goriness of surgical procedures and reaffirms the public shock at the realism of the painting.
It appears that Eakins intended the painting as a demonstration of his considerable artistic skill and as a manner in which to confirm himself as one of the heroes of the state of Philadelphia. Although the reactions to the painting were mixed, there seemed to be a general consensus on its sense of drama and shocking directness. In a way, Thomas Eakins showcased his academic training in a style which was deemed as scientific realism – a style which accurately described medical procedures and the advancement of science. The portrait also holds similarities to other similar paintings such as Humphrey Davy’s depiction of light bulbs and engineering feats or George Stubbs’ paintings depicting horses and animals. The anatomical depictions and the graphical realism of the painting is also an important part of Eakins’ message which although arguably sensationalist created a better understanding of what an operation looked like.
The fact that the painting was produced for the Centennial Exhibition in Phialdelphia may also be deemed a factor in Eakins’ intentions to shock. Posterity however has judged the painting kindly and several art critics have actually described it as one of the greatest American paintings of all time with others describing it as the greatest painting of the 19th century (New York Times, 2006). Certainly Eakin’s ‘The Gross Clinic’ revolutionised medical imagery and artistry showing what a surgical intervention looked like in the most graphic and direct of terms. It is a hugely important painting in every respect and deserves attention for its technique and wide ranging originality. It deserves the accolade of one of the greatest paintings of all time.
Works Cited:
"Thomas Eakins's The Gross Clinic". Philadelphia Museum of Art (website). Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved 2011-06-04. — Description of previous and current conservation and restoration work on the Eakins painting.
