Thomas Eakins, “Salutat”, 1898, Oil on Canvas, 126 x 101 cm, Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts
“The exhibition (Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture”, 2010) attempts to ferret out the hidden clues. In the 1898 painting “Salutat” (Latin for “He salutes”), Eakins portrays a 22-year-old, featherweight boxer known as Turkey Point Billy Smith as he waves to the crowd after a victory. Boxing matches in those days were all-male retreats, renowned for their brutal masculinity. But Eakins does not paint Smith in the act of fighting. …
Instead, Smith is standing alone in scanty trunks that reveal most of his buttocks. The men in the crowd are ogling him much as they would a half-naked woman. This realistic 19th century sports scene is clearly homoerotic to 21st century eyes. But this aspect had long been ignored in shows and books about Eakins.” – Los Angeles Times