#jamesabbottmcneillwhistler — Public Fediverse posts

"Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Chelsea," James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871.

Whistler (1834-1903) was a highly influential and famous painter, although it would infuriate him to know he was most famous for that over-familiar painting of his mother....because it's regarded as a portrait of motherhood, while he intended it only to be a study of shapes and colors. Really.

That's something about Whistler's art that many modern folks struggle with. He was a big proponent of the Aesthetic movement, preaching "art for art's sake". Many scenes like this weren't intended to be landscapes or capturing a moment in time...they were explorations of color and form. They were meant to be beautiful, and not teach a lesson or have a message.

He was known as a Tonaist, an art movement that branched off from Impressionism, and was more about capturing form and color.

From the Tate Modern, London.

#Art #JamesAbbottMcNeillWhistler #Tonalism #Aestheticism #Nocturne

"Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Chelsea," James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871.

Whistler (1834-1903) was a highly influential and famous painter, although it would infuriate him to know he was most famous for that over-familiar painting of his mother....because it's regarded as a portrait of motherhood, while he intended it only to be a study of shapes and colors. Really.

That's something about Whistler's art that many modern folks struggle with. He was a big proponent of the Aesthetic movement, preaching "art for art's sake". Many scenes like this weren't intended to be landscapes or capturing a moment in time...they were explorations of color and form. They were meant to be beautiful, and not teach a lesson or have a message.

He was known as a Tonaist, an art movement that branched off from Impressionism, and was more about capturing form and color.

From the Tate Modern, London.

#Art #JamesAbbottMcNeillWhistler #Tonalism #Aestheticism #Nocturne

"Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Chelsea," James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871.

Whistler (1834-1903) was a highly influential and famous painter, although it would infuriate him to know he was most famous for that over-familiar painting of his mother....because it's regarded as a portrait of motherhood, while he intended it only to be a study of shapes and colors. Really.

That's something about Whistler's art that many modern folks struggle with. He was a big proponent of the Aesthetic movement, preaching "art for art's sake". Many scenes like this weren't intended to be landscapes or capturing a moment in time...they were explorations of color and form. They were meant to be beautiful, and not teach a lesson or have a message.

He was known as a Tonaist, an art movement that branched off from Impressionism, and was more about capturing form and color.

From the Tate Modern, London.

#Art #JamesAbbottMcNeillWhistler #Tonalism #Aestheticism #Nocturne

"Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Chelsea," James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871.

Whistler (1834-1903) was a highly influential and famous painter, although it would infuriate him to know he was most famous for that over-familiar painting of his mother....because it's regarded as a portrait of motherhood, while he intended it only to be a study of shapes and colors. Really.

That's something about Whistler's art that many modern folks struggle with. He was a big proponent of the Aesthetic movement, preaching "art for art's sake". Many scenes like this weren't intended to be landscapes or capturing a moment in time...they were explorations of color and form. They were meant to be beautiful, and not teach a lesson or have a message.

He was known as a Tonaist, an art movement that branched off from Impressionism, and was more about capturing form and color.

From the Tate Modern, London.

#Art #JamesAbbottMcNeillWhistler #Tonalism #Aestheticism #Nocturne

"Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Chelsea," James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871.

Whistler (1834-1903) was a highly influential and famous painter, although it would infuriate him to know he was most famous for that over-familiar painting of his mother....because it's regarded as a portrait of motherhood, while he intended it only to be a study of shapes and colors. Really.

That's something about Whistler's art that many modern folks struggle with. He was a big proponent of the Aesthetic movement, preaching "art for art's sake". Many scenes like this weren't intended to be landscapes or capturing a moment in time...they were explorations of color and form. They were meant to be beautiful, and not teach a lesson or have a message.

He was known as a Tonaist, an art movement that branched off from Impressionism, and was more about capturing form and color.

From the Tate Modern, London.

#Art #JamesAbbottMcNeillWhistler #Tonalism #Aestheticism #Nocturne

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

„Das Werk des Meisters verrät keine Anstrengung.“

#JamesAbbottMcNeillWhistler #Kunst #Meister #Zettel

"The Gold Scab; Eruption in Frilthy Lucre (The Creditor)," James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1879.

This painting has an interesting story. Whistler's relationship with his wealthy patron Frederick Leyland ended when Leyland was furious with Whistler's work on the now-famous "Peacock Room;" it seems Whistler was only supposed to finish work started by someone else, but instead totally redid the room. The two parted ways acrimoniously.

Not long after that blow-up, Whistler unadvisedly sued art critic John Ruskin for defamation, over a bad review of one of his paintings; while Whistler won the suit, he was awarded only a farthing in damages. The suit was so expensive that he had to declare bankruptcy....and Leyland was his chief creditor.

So we have Leyland as a peacock, sitting on his house. Whistler pokes fun as his frilled shirts ("Frilthy", get it?) and his piano playing; if you look close you can see a butterfly, Whistler's signature, about to sting Leyland. The color scheme is that of the Peacock Room.

Reminds me of illustrator Sidney Sime...

From the De Young Gallery, San Francisco.

#Art #Aestheticism #JamesAbbottMcNeillWhistler #Caricature #RevengeArt