The Right Reverend Monsignor James F. Loughlin 1902

Thomas Eakins painted The Right Reverend Monsignor James F. Loughlin using oil on canvas, and while the exact date is unknown, it simmers with the intensity of someone truly present in a room. You can sense Eakins working here, wrestling with the weighty fabrics and somber palette, trying to capture not just a likeness but a feeling. The crimson cloak seems to be the focal point and what saves the painting, flowing around the figure, like it’s trying to get off the canvas altogether. What was he thinking, splashing that crimson across the dark background? How many layers did it take to get that right? Eakins was always pushing boundaries, challenging conventions, and experimenting with different ways of seeing. I see this painting as a conversation, not only with the sitter, but with other artists, too. A discussion about color, about form, about the weight of tradition, and the courage to break free from it.