Qᴜᴇᴇʀ LACMA: Sᴛᴀғғ Pɪᴄᴋs // Aʟᴇxᴀɴᴅᴇʀ Sᴄʜɴᴇɪᴅᴇʀ, Assᴏᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ Eᴅɪᴛᴏʀ ↴
"With "Wrestlers," Eakins brought a queer viewpoint to American painting at a time when the word “homosexual” had barely reached popular discourse. He submitted it as his diploma painting when he joined the National Academy of Design, and I can imagine how at odds it was with the sensibilities of some of the more polite subjects on view, in part because of its mundane nudity and because the athletes themselves were, going by their suntanned necks and hands, working class young men. Although all five faces in the composition are obscured or impossible to read, the man-on-man action is in your face.
Wrestlers is also a far cry from typical depictions of sports, particularly combat sports circa 1899, which usually highlighted strength, muscle, sweat, violence, and triumph. Instead, the scene is quiet and intimate. The two young, slender athletes grapple under gentle lighting and, though they're pinning each other to the ground, there’s a marked lack of aggression. This moment of tenderness doesn't just compel you to see these wrestlers through Eakins' eyes, but also seems to be proposing a softer version of masculinity, homosociality, and kinship."— Alexander Schneider (
@aleksandrschneidr )
