Thomas Eakins' powerful 'The Gross Clinic,' which first shocked audiences at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, riveted visitors to the Philadelphia Museum of Art over the weekend. A special exhibition featuring the iconic work, on view for the first time since an extensive restoration, continues through January 9.

A team of conservators led by Kathleen A. Foster and Mark Tucker meticulously removed a circa 1920s overpainting of the masterpiece to reveal Eakins' original painting.

Viewers declared the restored work "less orange" and even more "dramatic," according to the Phildelphia Inquirer. "This painting is bold. This picture is telling people, 'Let's try bold things.' "

The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art raised $68 million to buy the iconic painting in 2007 from Thomas Jefferson University.