James Abbott McNeill Whistler - Nocturne [1875-80]

James Abbott McNeill Whistler - Nocturne [1875-80], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

[Philadelphia Museum of Art - Oil on canvas, 31.1 x 51.8 cm]

James Abbott McNeill Whistler - The Ocean [1866]

James Abbott McNeill Whistler - The Ocean [1866], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

This painting, exhibited in London in 1892 as ‘Symphony in Grey and Green: The Ocean’, was one of several seascapes Whistler painted in 1866 during a visit to Valparaiso, Chile. The influence of Japanese prints on his work is apparent here in the high horizon, the decorative arrangement of bamboo sprays, and the butterfly monogram that appears both on the picture and on the frame, which was of Whistler’s own design.

[Oil on lined canvas, 80.7 x 101.9 cm]

James McNeill Whistler - Cremorne Gardens, No. 2 [1872-77]

James McNeill Whistler - Cremorne Gardens, No. 2 [1872-77], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Between about 1872 and 1877 Whistler painted seven oils featuring Cremorne Gardens, a popular London amusement park that offered music, dancing, coloured light shows, and spectacular fireworks. The French Impressionists, whom Whistler knew, also portrayed outdoor public entertainments. In contrast to them, however, Whistler sought to create a harmonious world on the canvas, not simply to record the world of appearances. As Cremorne Gardens was associated with the demimonde, the painting may refer to an encounter between four prostitutes and a potential customer. Whistler's principal goal, however, was to imply with his brilliantly coloured, ghostlike forms the ephemeral charm of an evening's gathering in the veiled atmosphere of an indistinct setting rather than a legible narrative.

[Oil on canvas, 68.6 x 134.9 cm]

James Whistler - Portrait of the Painter's Mother [1871]

James Whistler - Portrait of the Painter's Mother [1871], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (July 14, 1834 – July 17, 1903) was an American-born, British-based painter and etcher. Averse to sentimentality in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". He took to signing his paintings with a stylised butterfly, possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol was apt, for Whistler's art was characterised by a subtle delicacy, in contrast to his combative public persona. Finding a parallel between painting and music, Whistler titled many of his paintings "arrangements", "harmonies", and "nocturnes".

In 1863 Whistler's mother moved to England to be with her son. In 1871 his style moved towards greater simplicity when he painted Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter's Mother. The figure sits in profile on a light background. The horizontal lines of the skirting boards are what holds the elements in place; the only decoration seen in the light dabs of paint defining a pattern on the curtain. The painting was purchased by the French government and is housed in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

[Oil on canvas, 144.3 x 162.5 cm]