During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, depictions of masculinity and manhood in America began to shift. Artists like Thomas Eakins and his contemporaries explored what it meant to be a man in the wake of the post-Civil War era and the Gilded Age. Artists began to question the modern man, and the roles that the masculine figures were supposed to play in society and art. How is masculinity accessible to those who are not part of the Gilded elite, the leaders of society? These artists answered the question with depictions of men and boys at work and play, with a focus on the leisurely activities that many men would enjoy at the time. From rowing to hunting, the hobbies of men and the work that men now engaged in were often similar to those that came before, but highlighted in a way that was seldom shown in American art before this period. This shifted the focus of masculinity away from leadership. Artists during this time period challenged their audience to accept the more playful and leisurely sides of masculinity, perhaps as a reaction to the Civil War and how often men are depicted as leaders and war heroes. The audience faces these artworks and sees a side of men not often shown, men at leisure.
Thomas Eakins, The Champion Single Sculls, 1871, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 34.92.
The Champion Single Sculls depicts men that rowing, an often competitive sport and activity, yet Thomas Eakins contrasts that competitive nature with men that seem serene and calm. These men, one of them being the artist himself, are depicted as men that are having fun together. The painting commemorates the main figure, Max Schmitt, after his victory in a race, but nonetheless there is a sense that neither of these men are competing, rather they are strolling down the river together, at leisure.
Eadweard Muybridge, Boys Playing Leap Frog, 1883-86, collotype, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 38.82.3
Boys Playing Leap Frog very obviously depicts two boys playing together. An early adopter of photography, Eadweard Muybridge studied the human form many many times throughout his career. This series of sequential photographs shows the audience not only what photography can depict but it also shows a side of boyhood not often depicted, that of play. There is a sense of innocence here, childhood without boundaries and without limitations is depicted through the motion of the photographs.
Winslow Homer, Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River, 1905-1910 , oil on canvas with chalk, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 11.57.
Winslow Homer, similarly to Eakins, depicts men that are engaged in a physical hobby or activity of leisure. Rowing a boat down a not-so-calm river is not something that men would or should exactly aim for in their leisure but Homer depicts the unpredictability that comes with being in nature. Homer displays masculinity in the calm and collected natures of the men in the small boat, Homer makes it clear that calm natures are indeed masculine, even under pressure.
Frederic Remington, The Bronco Buster, 1895, revised 1905, The Metropolitan Museum of Art 39.65.45
Frederic Remington displays a masculinity that may have seemed unfamiliar to many Americans during the 19th century. With many Americans still not in the west, and still not exposed to what the west looked like, the depiction of the cowboy in the 1800s was one that pushed boundaries. The freedom of the cowboy, the freedom of a man seemingly at work yet still appearing to be in control of his life and his ability to have fun is seen here in this sculpture. The melding of leisure and work is striking. It displays a life that many men would not have known or cared to know about.
Winslow Homer, Rainy Day at Camp, 1871, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 23.77.1
Rainy Day at Camp displays men sitting and talking and tending to a pot of food, that is all. There is a serene and calm air to the painting that feels inviting and safe to a viewer. It seems as though the men are inviting us to join them around this pot that they are tending to. Winslow Homer once again displays masculinity through calm and gentle leisure, a gathering of men. He is inviting the viewer to be a part of this masculinity with the men present.
Norman Rockwell, No Swimming, 1921, oil on canvas, Norman Rockwell Art Collection Trust, 1973.15
Norman Rockwell depicts a side of masculinity that is playful and rambunctious and mischievous. No Swimming is the epitome of this idea, with boys running away from an assumed authority drenched, with a “No Swimming” sign behind them. This is a painting that radiates joy and childhood, some might say that these boys are hooligans but Rockwell begs the audience to see what they really are, boys. Boys that want to swim, boys that are playing and are at leisure in America.
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