Realism, Writing, Disfiguration: On Thomas Eakins and Stephen Crane

by Michael Fried

"A highly original and gripping account of the works of Eakins and Crane. That remarkable combination of close reading and close viewing which Fried uniquely commands is brought to bear on the problematic nature of the making of images, of texts, and of the self in nineteenth-century America."—Svetlana Alpers, University of California, Berkeley

"An extraordinary achievement of scholarship and critical analysis. It is a book distinguished not only for its brilliance but for its courage, its grace and wit, its readiness to test its arguments in tough-minded ways, and its capacity to meet the challenge superbly. . . . This is a landmark in American cultural and intellectual studies."—Sacvan Bercovitch, Harvard University

Genres: Art

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Nick Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only read the first half on Eakins, since I don't know anything about Stephen Crane, but this is an astonishing work of scholarship. Fried had so many interesting and illuminating things to say about one painting. A real tour de force.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

just read the Eakins section, but wonderful ✅ insightful look into the painter 🎨