The World of Arts
Whistler: Prince among men -Part I
Gwen Herat
James McNeil Whistler was highly influenced by Courbet because of
which he found himself with his brush and colour. He was passionately
fond of white so much so that his Masterpiece title Symphony in White
painted in 1862 simply took the art world by storm because of the way it
was painted. The beautiful mistress, Jo on whom he languished many a
painting, was the choice for the figure.
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Thomas Carlyle as portrayed by Whistler |
He placed her against a window which filtered the light through a
transparent white muslin curtain but the figure received a strong light
from the right and therefore the picture barring the red hair of Jo, was
a gorgeous mass of brilliant white. Later, he reworked on this painting
to give more colour. Whistler is mostly remembered for this painting. He
also did another gem of a painting called The White Girl. Both these
paintings are displayed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
However, though Whistler was influenced by Courbet, it was the
pre-Raphaelite painter, Millias that cast a magical influence on him
which lasted a life time and of which can be traced in all his work
throughout his career. In fact, the art world is yet to see a more
profound or magnificent painting of OPHELIA (from HAMLET) than the one
done by Sir John Everest Millais, in the 19th century.
I discovered a strong resemblance of the White Girl to Ophelia.
After rejecting Courbet's Realism heritage, he cut off contact with
Parisian art. Had he remained in France with his illustrious colleagues,
Whistler would have taken a different place in art history books. In his
formative years, he had no problem identifying himself though his first
major canvas, At The Piano was rejected by Paris Salon in 1859. Whistler
opted to settle down in London after leaving Paris never to return
again.
Whistler was considered eccentric because of his tetchy rivalry with
Oscar Wilde. He wore rather funny clothing. They consisted of a short
black coat, white vest, white ducks and pumps, a low collar and slim
black tie, carefully arranged. (To me, it sounds very fashionable today
because I've seen one or two conductors in these apparels. Of course,
not totally). However, he was brilliant and exquisite with a great sense
of wit. Writers, critics, fellow-artists regarded him as an intruder and
a fugitive unable to find a home in the avant-garde society but his
flamboyance rose above all odds. |
