Les Joueurs d’’échecs
1876
Thomas Eakins captures a quiet, intense moment of intellectual battle in this moody, wood-paneled room. The man on the right, deep in thought with his hand pressed to his forehead, is actually Eakins's own father, Benjamin, playing against a family friend. Painted in 1876 shortly after the artist returned from studying in Paris, this masterpiece of American Realism uses dramatic lighting to focus all our attention on the chessboard and the players' expressions. Even the cat in the corner seems to be waiting for the next move!
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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