,,the ,,whistler ,,book ,,works ,,of ,,sadakichi ,,hartmann ,shakespeare in ,art #b4jj ,japanese ,art #b4jj ,the ,whistler ,book #b4ej ,a ,history of ,american ,art #b vols4 #d4jj ,l4 ,c4 ,,page ,,company #ec ,,beacon ,,st41 ,,boston1 ,,mass4 ,illustration3 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler ,from the painting by ,boldini ,the ,whistler ,book ,a ,monograph of the ,life and ,position in ,art of ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler1 together with a ,careful ,study of his more ,important ,works ,,by ,,sadakichi ,,hartmann ,author of ,a ,history of ,american ,art1 ,japanese ,art1 etc4 ,with fifty-seven reproductions of ,mr4 ,whistler's most important works ,l4 ,c4 ,,page ,,company ,,boston 99 99 99 ,,mdccccx ,copyright1 #aiaj1 ,,by ,l4 ,c4 ,,page ,,company4 7,,incorporated7 ,entered at ,stationer's ,hall1 ,london 99 99 99 99 99 ,all rights reserved ,first ,impression1 ,october1 #aiaj ,electrotyped and ,printed by ,,the ,,colonial ,,press ,c4 ,h4 ,simonds ,co41 ,boston1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,,to ,,those ,,painters ,,upon ,,whose ,,shoulders ,,the ,,black ,,mantle ,,of ,,whistler',s ,,muse ,,may ,,fall ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,introductory--,white ,chrysanthemums #a ,,ii4 ,quartier ,latin and ,chelsea #f ,,iii4 ,the ,butterfly #ci ,,iv4 ,the ,art of ,omission #eh ,v4 ,on ,light and ,tone ,problems #ha ,,vi4 ,symphonies in ,interior ,decoration #ajj ,,vii4 ,visions and ,identifications #aba ,,viii4 ,in ,quest of ,line ,expression #adg ,,ix4 ,moss-like ,gradations #afh ,x4 ,whistler's ,iconoclasm #ahb ,,xi4 ,as ,his ,friends ,knew ,him #bji ,,xii4 ,the ,story of the ,beautiful #bcc ,bibliography #bec ,principal ,magazine ,articles #bei ,principal ,paintings #bfb ,nocturnes #bfe ,index #bfg ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,page ,portrait of ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler1 by ,boldini 7,see page #bcj7 ,frontispiece ,the ,self ,portrait of #ahei #h ,pen and ,ink ,sketch1 ,made at ,west ,point #aa ,drawing ,made for the ,united ,states ,coast and ,geodetic ,survey #ab ,portrait ,sketch of ,fantin-,latour #ad ,hommage ,delacroix1 by ,fantin-,latour #ag ,the ,woman in ,white #ai ,owned by ,john ,h4 ,whittemore4 ,arrangement in ,black3 ,f4 ,r4 ,leyland #bb ,national ,gallery1 ,washington4 ,jo 7,etching7 #bh ,wapping ,wharf 7,etching7 #cf ,harmony in ,green and ,rose3 ,the ,music ,room #dd ,owned by ,frank ,j4 ,hecker4 ,lange ,leizen of the ,six ,marks3 ,purple and ,rose #di ,owned by ,john ,g4 ,johnson4 ,the ,princess of the ,porcelain ,land #ej ,national ,gallery1 ,washington4 ,symphony in ,white1 ,,ii3 ,the ,little ,white ,girl #ec ,owned by ,arthur ,studd4 ,on the ,balcony3 ,variations in ,flesh-colour and ,green #ed ,national ,gallery1 ,washington4 ,nocturne in ,black and ,gold3 ,the ,falling ,rocket #eh ,owned by ,mrs4 ,samuel ,untermyer4 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,gold3 ,old ,battersea ,bridge #fg ,tate ,gallery1 ,london4 ,nocturne in ,gray and ,gold3 ,chelsea1 ,snow #gj ,nocturne in ,blue and ,silver #gd ,lady in ,gray #hc ,courtesy of the ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york4 ,l',andalusienne #hf ,owned by ,john ,h4 ,whittemore4 ,sir ,henry ,irving as ,philip ,,ii #ij ,courtesy of the ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,white3 ,lady ,meux 7,no4 #a7 #id ,arrangement in ,black3 ,senor ,pablo ,sarasate #ig ,carnegie ,art ,institute1 ,pittsburg4 ,shutter ,decoration1 ,peacock ,room #ajd ,arrangement in ,gray and ,green3 ,miss ,alexander #aji ,eagle ,wharf 7,etching7 #aah ,at the ,piano #abb ,arrangement in ,black and ,brown3 ,miss ,rose ,corder #abh ,owned by ,richard ,a4 ,canfield4 ,arrangement in ,black3 ,lady ,archibald ,campbell 7,the ,yellow ,buskin7 #acg ,wilstach ,gallery1 ,philadelphia4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,gold3 ,comte de ,montesquiou #adb ,owned by ,richard ,a4 ,canfield4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,gray3 ,thomas ,carlyle #add ,city ,art ,gallery1 ,glasgow4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,gray3 the ,artist's ,mother #adf ,luxembourg ,gallery1 ,paris4 ,la ,vieille aux ,loques 7,etching7 #adi ,street in ,saverne 7,etching7 #aej ,portrait of ,drouet 7,etching7 #aec ,black ,lion ,wharf 7,etching7 #aed ,wapping1 on the ,thames 7,etching7 #afj ,old ,hungerford ,bridge 7,etching7 #afb ,the ,silent ,canal 7,etching7 #afd ,view of ,amsterdam 7,etching7 #aff ,nocturne 7,lithograph7 #agj ,little ,rose of ,lyme ,regis #age ,boston ,museum of ,fine ,arts4 ,study of ,nude ,figure 7,chalk ,drawing7 #agf ,pastel ,study #agh ,owned by ,th4 ,r4 ,way4 ,archway1 ,venice 7,pastel7 #ahb ,owned by ,howard ,mansfield4 ,the ,japanese ,dress 7pastel7 #ahf ,owned by ,howard ,mansfield4 ,mr4 ,kennedy3 ,portrait ,study #aib ,courtesy of the ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york4 ,the ,lime ,burner 7,etching7 #aih ,portrait of ,stphane ,mallarm 7,lithograph7 #bji ,arrangement in ,flesh-colour and ,black3 ,theodore ,duret #bad ,the ,unsafe ,tenement 7,etching7 #bbj ,in the ,sunshine 7,etching7 #bbf ,the ,pool 7,etching7 #bcb ,arrangement in ,black and ,white3 ,l',amricaine #bch ,the ,fiddler 7,etching7 #bdf ,nocturne in ,brown and ,silver3 ,old ,battersea ,bridge #bdh ,the ,whistler ,book ,,chapter ,i4--,,introductory ,,white ,,chrysanthemums#a ,footnote #a3 ,published originally in ,camera ,work1 #aijc4 ,the white chrysanthemum is my favourite flower4 ,there are other flowers1 ,i grant1 perhaps more beautiful1 which ,i cannot help admiring1 but the white chrysanthemum somehow appeals to me more than any other flower4 ,why8 ,that is more than ,i can tell4 ,the unconscious movements of our soul activity cannot be turned into sodden prose4 ,what would be the use of having a favourite flower if one could give any reason for liking it8 ,it merely reveals that part of our personality1 not to be logically explained1 which rises within us like the reminiscences of some former soul existence4 ,there are colours and certain sounds and odours which effect me similarly4 ,whenever ,i gaze at a white chrysanthemum1 my mind becomes conscious of something which concerns my life alone2 something which ,i would like to express in my art1 but which ,i shall never be able to realize1 at least not in the vague and1 at the same time1 convincing manner the flower conveys it to me4 ,i am also fond of displaying it occasionally in my buttonhole2 not for effect1 however1 but simply because ,i want other people to know who ,i am2 for those human beings who are sensitive to the charms of the chrysanthemum1 must hail from the same country in which my soul abides1 and ,i should like to meet them4 ,i should not have much to say to them--souls are not talkative--but we should make curtsies1 and hand white chrysanthemums to one another4 ,whistler was busy all his life painting just such white chrysanthemums4 ,you smile8 ,well1 ,i think ,i can persuade you to accept my point of view4 ,you are probably aware that ,whistler was opposed to realism4 ,the realists endorse every faithful reproduction of facts4 ,also1 ,whistler believed all objects beautiful1 but only under certain conditions1 at certain favoured moments4 ,it is at long intervals and on rare occasions that nature and human life reveal their highest beauty4 ,it was ,whistler's life-long endeavour to fix such supreme and happy moments1 the white chrysanthemums of his sthetic creed1 upon his canvases4 ,have you never seen a country lass and thought she should be dressed up as a page--her limbs have such a lyrical twist1 as ,george ,meredith would say--she should stand on the steps of a throne1 and the hall should be illuminated with a thousand candles8 ,have you never met a ,new ,england girl1 and thought that she was ill-suited to her present surroundings1 that she would look well only standing on the porch of some old ,colonial mansion1 in the evening1 when odours of the pelargoniums and gladioli begin to fill the garden8 ,have you not noticed that a bunch of cut flowers which looks beautiful in one vase may become ugly in another8 ,and how often has it not happened to all of us that we were startled by a sudden revelation of beauty in a person whom we have known for years and who has looked rather commonplace to us8 ,suddenly1 through some expression of grief or joy1 or merely through a passing light or shadow1 all the hidden beauty bursts to the surface and surprises us with its fugitive charms4 ,whistler's ,at the ,piano1 ,the ,yellow ,buskin1 ,old ,battersea ,bridge1 ,chelsea3 ,snow1 are painted in that way4 ,could you imagine his ,yellow ,buskin ,lady in any other way than buttoning her gloves1 and glancing back1 for a last time1 over her shoulder1 as she is walking away from you into grey distances6 ,that peculiar turn of her body reveals the quintessence of her beauty4 ,and that is the reason why ,whistler has painted her in that attitude4 ,thus every object has its moment of supreme beauty4 ,in life these moments are as fugitive as the fractions of a second4 ,through art they can become a permanent and lasting enjoyment4 ,the ancient ,greek believed in an ideal standard of beauty to which the whole universe had to conform4 ,the modern artist1 on the other hand1 sees beauty only in such moments as are entirely individual to the forms and conditions of life he desires to portray4 ,and as it pains him that his conception of beauty will die with him1 he becomes an artist through the very endeavour of preserving at least a few fragments of it for his fellow-men4 ,with ,whistler1 this conception was largely a sense for tone1 a realization of some dream in black and silvery grey1 in pale gold or greenish blues4 ,a vague flare of colour in some dark tonality was1 to him1 the island in the desert which he had to seek1 unable to rest until he had found it4 ,he saw life in visions1 and his subjects were merely means to express them4 ,in his ,lady ,archibald ,campbell he cared more for black and grey gradations and the yellow note of the buskin than for the fair sitter4 ,the figure is1 so to speak1 invented in the character of the colour arrangement4 ,whistler once said he would like best to paint for an audience that could dispense with the representation of objects and figures1 with all pictorial actualities1 and be satisfied solely with the music of colour4 ,and why should we not profit by his lesson1 and learn to look at pictures as we look at the flush of the evening sky1 at a passing cloud1 at the vision of a beautiful woman1 or at a white chrysanthemum6 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,quartier ,,latin ,,and ,,chelsea ,during ,jean ,franois ,raffaelli's sojourn in ,america ,i had occasion to ask him the rather futile question of how long it took a painter in ,paris to become famous4 ,of course ,i referred to a man of superior abilities1 and meant by fame an international reputation4 ,he answered twenty years at least1 and ,i replied that about twenty years more would be needed in ,america4 ,whistler had a long time to wait before fame knocked at his door1 although he had a local reputation in ,london and ,paris at forty4 ,he was known as a man of curious ways1 and an excellent etcher2 but1 with the exception of two medals1 he had received no honours whatever for his paintings4 ,his work still impressed by its novelty2 but he had not yet captivated the public4 ,he still had to fight for recognition1 and1 as long as a man has to do that1 he is neither a popular nor a successful man4 ,toward the middle of the seventies recognition appeared to come more readily4 ,he seemed to know everybody of note1 and everybody seemed to know him4 ,his writings and controversies attracted considerable attention1 his supremacy as an etcher had been admitted1 and his pictures became more widely known4 ,he had gathered around him a number of wealthy patrons1 who were connoisseurs and keen appreciators of his talents4 ,he was so successful financially in the latter part of his life that he had residences and studios in ,paris as well as in ,london4 ,at ,paris his headquarters were in the rue du ,bac4 ,in ,london he had various quarters1--on ,fulham ,road1 ,tite ,street1 ,langham ,street1 ,alderney ,street1 ,st4 ,regents ,street1 ,the ,vale1 etc4 ,going from one place to the other as his moods dictated to him1 with an occasional sketching trip to ,venice1 to ,holland or the northern parts of ,france1 he lived the true life of the artist1 quarrelled with his friends1 delighted his admirers with the products of his fancies1 and astounded the intelligent public on two continents with the caprices of his temper4 ,strange to say1 even at that time1 his best work had already left his easel4 ,he was busy with minor1 but not less interesting1 problems and devoted most of his time to etchings1 pastels and lithographs4 ,but it was at this time that his ,ten ,o'clock and ,the ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies were published2 and when his ,carlyle found its way to the ,glasgow ,city ,gallery1 and ,the ,portrait of the ,artist's ,mother was purchased by the ,luxembourg ,gallery at ,paris4 ,comparatively little is known of ,whistler's private life4 ,i wonder how many of his admirers1 excepting his personal friends1 were acquainted during his life-time with the fact that he was married1 and could tell whom he had married4 ,he remained a bachelor until his fifty-fourth year1 when he married the widow of his friend ,e4 ,w4 ,godwin1 the architect of the ,white ,house4 ,she was the daughter of ,john ,bernie ,philip1 a sculptor1 and was herself an etcher4 ,they were married on ,aug4 #aa1 #ahhh4 ,eight years later his wife died1 ,may #ajth1 #ahif4 ,how this man of moods and capricious tastes got along in married life the general public has never found out4 ,his friends assure us that it was a happy union and that he was deeply devoted to his wife4 ,he has painted her repeatedly1 but the pictures do not betray any domestic secrets to the public4 ,although ,whistler was fond of notoriety1 and managed to keep himself continually before the public1--in the fullest limelight1 so to speak1--he never allowed personal news and the details of his everyday life to claim the attention of the public4 ,all his innumerable feuds and press displays were related to his work1--to his completed pictures and theories of art4 ,he liked to play upon his personality1 but only as far as the artist was concerned4 ,he was peculiarly free from the taint of exploiting his own domestic affairs4 ,he hated biographies and all references to his family life4 ,even in his feuds with his old friends1 ,f4 ,r4 ,leyland1 and his brother-in-law1 ,seymour ,haden1 when he brutally dragged apparent private matters into the glare of publicity1 the discriminating observer will notice that his controversies1 sarcasms and interpretations refer solely to art situations and never descend to the low depths of personal abuse4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,self ,,portrait ,,of #ahei4 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler was born on ,july #ajth 7some say ,july #aath71 #ahcd1 at ,lowell1 ,mass4 ,one of his ancestors1 a ,dr4 ,whistler1 is frequently mentioned in ,pepys' delicious diary4 ,he was baptized ,james ,abbott ,whistler in the ,church of ,st4 ,anne1 at ,lowell4 ,his father1 ,major ,george ,washington ,whistler1 was a civil engineer and1 during the first eight years of ,james' life1 moved from ,lowell to ,stonington1 ,connecticut1 thence to ,springfield1 ,massachusetts1 and1 finally1 in #ahdb1 went to ,russia to superintend the construction of the railroad from ,st4 ,petersburg to ,moscow4 ,the following year the family sailed from ,boston to make their home in ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,this was the first impression the boy ,whistler received from the outside world1 and no doubt the trip across the ,atlantic and the sojourn in a foreign country made a lasting impression upon him4 ,russia1 with its quaint old civilization and touches of barbaric splendour1 was the country to excite the imagination of any boy1 and the change from a ,new ,england village life to the metropolitan turmoil of ,st4 ,petersburg would have left imperishable traces in any receptive mind4 ,the father was paid lavishly and the boy was brought up in luxury4 ,the first report of any art talent in the boy can be found in the reference1 mentioned by several biographers1 to his taking lessons at the ,imperial ,academy of ,sciences at ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,it had probably no particular bearing on his career1 since art teaching in ,russia was traditional1 and probably consisted of nothing but drawing from wooden models and plaster casts4 ,it informs us1 however1 of the fact that he became familiar with the rudiments of drawing at an early age4 ,of by far greater importance to his development were his visits to the ,hermitage4 ,there he saw for the first time ,velasquez and he learnt to differentiate between painters who could paint and such who could only tell a story in line and colour4 ,illustration3 ,,pen ,,and ,,ink ,,sketch1 ,,made ,,at ,,west ,,point4 ,on the death of the father1 ,april #gth1 #ahdi1 the family returned to the ,united ,states and settled in ,stonington1 ,conn41 and young ,whistler attended school at ,pomfret1 ,conn4 ,in #ahea1 seventeen years old1 he entered the ,united ,states ,military ,academy at ,west ,point and was enrolled as ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler1 taking his mother's maiden name as a middle name4 ,like ,poe1 he does not seem to have been over-fond of a routine military career4 ,no doubt something of the artist's temperament had awakened in him1 and1 like all young talents1 he objected to regulated study1 and tried to satisfy the vague aspirations of his unsettled consciousness with work that was more congenial to him4 ,he left ,west ,point in ,july1 #ahed4 ,the technical discharge was deficiency in chemistry1 but it was probably general unfitness for a career of discipline and exactness4 ,through some influence he received an appointment in the drawing division of the ,united ,states ,coast and ,geodetic ,survey at ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 at the salary of #a4ej a day1 but he resigned two months later4 ,the government records show that he worked only six and a half days in ,january and five and three-quarter days in ,february4 ,he apparently had no taste for map designing and bird's-eye views4 ,it is said he paid more attention to the deliberate drawing of little trees and detail than to the typographic facts4 ,illustration3 ,,drawing ,,made ,,for ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,coast ,,and ,,geodetic ,,survey4 ,his military career had come to an end2 he had to do something else1 and he felt that he had to become an artist at any price4 ,money was not over abundant in the ,whistler family1 but there was sufficient to allow him a few years' leisure to study art wherever he chose1 and so he went to ,paris1 and joined the youthful band of artists1 who fought for modernism and a new technique1 and the glory of the mtier1 with an enthusiasm1 a bravery and devotion that has rarely been encountered4 ,there he lived the regular student life for four years4 ,he entered the atelier of ,charles ,gleyre1 but only stayed for a short while4 ,he preferred to look about for himself4 ,at one time he and young ,tissot made a copy of ,ingres' ,angelique4 ,whistler arrived in ,france shortly after the coup d'tat4 ,paris was not then what she is to-day4 ,none of the chain of boulevards around the centre of the town1 not even the boulevard of ,st4 ,michael1 which became the great thoroughfare for artists1 were in existence in their present condition4 ,but ,whistler had come at the time when ,paris was being reconstructed into one of the most beautiful cities of the world1 and1 when the ,imperial rgime unfolded its full splendour4 ,paris became intoxicated with its own beauty1 and the social life blossomed forth in all its elegance and frivolity4 ,during #aheg-eh ,whistler had a studio in the rue ,compagne ,premire1 boarding in ,madame ,lalouette's pension in the rue ,dauphine4 ,for some time he also shared quarters with ,fantin-,latour1 who1 with ,legros1 was his most intimate friend during his student years4 ,they saw each other daily1 and it was on one of these occasions that he made the humourous sketch of ,latour1 depicting him on a cold winter morning seated in bed1 drawing1 all dressed1 with a top hat on his head4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,sketch ,,of ,,fantin-,,latour4 ,they were the days of ,henri ,murger's ,la ,vie ,bohme1 of bon camaraderie1 eccentric days when every man sought to make his mark by peculiarities of dress1 soft felt ,rubens' hats1 velvet cloaks with the ends thrown over the shoulders1 and other exotic garments4 ,in one exhibition1 in sheer audacity of youth1 ,whistler appeared dressed in a ,japanese kimono4 ,think of a man in a kimono in #ahee6 ,whistler at that time was a true ,bohemian4 ,his little studio was his workshop1 his temple1 his parlour1 his playhouse and his dormitory4 ,he frequented the queer1 interesting quarters that students seek1--quaint old cafs where food was good as well as cheap1 and character abundant4 ,what is there so fascinating about the ,bohemian's life8 ,the ,philistine1 ,i fear1 generally considers him an eccentric1 indolent man1 with no thought for the morrow1 no notion of economy1 no home save the place which affords him temporary shelter4 ,he never stops to think that the ,bohemians are the men who make our songs1 who paint our pictures1 chisel marvellous creations out of wood and stone1 compose our sweetest poems and write our newspapers4 ,it is a grievous mistake to assume that they are merely a lot of idle1 luckless fellows4 ,they are men with brains of good quality1 and hearts in the right place4 ,all classes and trades of men have burdened the world with their wants and woes4 ,not so the ,bohemian4 ,he1 too1 has his heartaches and bitter disappointments1 but who ever hears of them8 ,the humourous tale over which you laugh so heartily1 recounting the adventures of a poet in search of a publisher1 had the author's personal experience for a basis4 ,he could not sell his poems1 but needed bread2 so1 out of his misfortune1 he had good cheer4 ,the ordinary man1 rebuffed by fortune1 would sit down and mourn himself into illness4 ,the ,bohemian utilizes these very reverses1 and both he and the world are the merrier eventually for them4 ,he lives in a world distinct from that of common men4 ,talent1 love of comradeship1 a sunny disposition--these are the magnets that will draw one toward it4 ,it has its obligations1 its trials1 its code of honour1 rigid as the most unbending militarism2 but there is charm of companionship and an absence of jealousies and pettiness within it that makes you powerless to rid yourself of its enchantments4 ,the ,bohemian's life is apart from yours1 but why chide him for it8 ,he builds on the ruins of no other man's life1 he feeds on no man's scandals1 he exults in no man's misfortunes1 but goes on his way1 imbibing the sweetness of life from every flower1 and1 in his own way1 scattering the perfume broadcast4 ,he does half our thinking and originates two-third of all the movements for the social reclamation of the world4 ,he is no hypocrite before the mighty1 nor heartless in the face of the unfortunate4 ,he covets no man's goods1 but lives his own quiet1 interesting1 exquisite life4 ,he asks only a share of the sunlight of life4 ,in du ,maurier's ,trilby we find a sympathetic description of the art life of that period1 but also a rather despicable type of a man1 ,joe ,sibley1 by name1 who always pretends but never does a thing and who was meant for a ludicrous satire on young ,whistler 7a character which was eliminated on ,whistler's request from the second edition74 ,it is easy to draw a mental picture of him as he looked at that time4 ,i see him studying in the ,louvre1 in a loose black blouse with low turned down collar and a soft black hat on his long1 slightly curled hair1 lost in wonder before a painting by ,leonardo2 or strolling along the ,boulevards1 cane in hand1 ogling the beautiful women1 and dreaming of designing some dress for the ,empress ,eugenie1 passing by in an open phaeton4 ,and how enthusiastic he got1 no doubt1 over some ,japanese print or ,chinese vase in some curio shop4 ,a certain trigness1 smartness1 acquired very likely at ,west ,point where the cadets change their white duck trousers several times a day1 induced him1 even at this time1 to take special care over the fit of his coat4 ,illustration3 ,,hommage ,,delacroix1 ,,by ,,fantin-,,latour4 ,in #ahei he went with several fellow students1 ,fantin-,latour1 ,legros1 and ,ribot1 to ,bonvin's studio to work from the model1 under the direction of ,courbet4 ,at that time he was interested in types4 ,he painted a ,fumette1 a little grisette of the ,quartier ,latin1 and the ,mother ,gerard1 who in her younger days had been a maker of pretty verses1 but1 reduced in circumstances1 had become a flower vender at the ,bal ,bullier4 ,among his friends and associates we find the names of ,legros1 ,cordier1 ,duranty1 the etcher ,bracquemond1 inventor of the pen and ink process1 de ,balleroy1 ,champfleury1 ,manet and ,baudelaire4 ,they were all young men of talent1 plein d'avenir4 ,fantin-,latour made a group-portrait of them1 including ,whistler and himself1 seated and standing1 assembled about a portrait of ,delacroix4 ,the canvas was exhibited at the ,salon of #ahfd as an ,hommage ,delacroix4 ,whistler's step-sister had married ,seymour ,haden1 the etcher1 and ,whistler1 paying them a visit in #ahei1 stayed in ,london4 ,the four years in ,paris had matured him1 and he knew how to accomplish something beyond the routine studio work4 ,in #ahfb he exhibited for the ,royal ,academy4 ,it was his ,at the ,piano1 which1 if not a masterpiece1 is already a true and individual work of art4 ,courbet still had a strong hold on him4 ,he spent two summers with him in ,trouville and may have derived his first lessons as a mystificateur1 which part he played so successfully during life1 from the ,french painter1 for ,courbet was a poseur throughout1 who assumed a particular kind of dress1 and who was not satisfied merely with painting pictures that offended the ,academy and conventional taste1 but made a special effort and took special pleasure in shocking the bourgeoisie4 ,whistler also made his first trip to ,holland during these years1 and became enchanted with ,rembrandt and ,vermeer1 but took a great dislike to ,van der ,helst4 ,in #ahei-fj youthful efforts of his had been refused at the ,paris ,salon2 the same happened again in #ahfc1 but he was one of the men who scored a success at the ,salon des ,refuses4 ,a number of talented painters1 and among them men of genius like ,manet1 ,cazin1 ,degas1 ,harpignies1 ,vollon1 ,pissaro1 ,jongkind and ,bracquemond1 tired of the cliquism and jury of the regular ,salon1--a story which repeats itself everywhere1--decided to arrange their own exhibition4 ,napoleon ,,iii1 in his nonchalant way a true patron of art1 issued an order to arrange the exhibition of revolt in the same building as the official exhibition4 ,the exhibition was a success1 and even the ,empress ,eugenie and the court came to see it4 ,this is really of no significance1 as nobody bought anything2 but it sounds well1 and biographers should never neglect to mention such incidents4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,john ,h4 ,whittemore ,,the ,,woman ,,in ,,white4 ,one thing is certain3 ,whistler's picture1 ,the ,white ,girl1 even with ,manet's ,dejeuner sur l',herbe in the same room1 attracted an unusual share of attention4 ,zola1 in ,l',,oeuvre1 says that the crowd laughed in front of ,la ,dame en ,blanc4 ,desnoyers thought it the most remarkable picture1 at once simple and fantastic with a beauty so peculiar that the public did not know whether to think it beautiful or ugly4 ,paul ,mantz wrote in the ,gazette des ,beaux-,arts that it was the most important picture in the exhibition and called the picture a ,symphonie du ,blanc some years before ,whistler adopted that title4 ,the exhibition of this picture represents1 in a way1 the turning point in ,whistler's career4 ,it was a steady ascent ever after4 ,before this he was unknown1 and exposed to the manifold privations and vicissitudes of an artist's career4 ,many a day he had gone hungry and frequently could not paint for lack of material4 ,now things began to run a trifle smoother1 although sales were still rare and money scarce4 ,his lodgings in #g ,linsey ,row 7now #aja ,cheyne ,walk7 were extremely simple and his studio consisted of a second-story back room4 ,during the next three years he worked hard1 and finished a number of pictures that since then have made history4 ,they are all in a lighter key and of brilliant colouring4 ,the problem he seemed to be most interested in was to reproduce in relief the charm of diversified colour patches as seen in ,japanese prints4 ,he continued to see things in this way until he made a trip to ,south ,america in #ahff4 ,feeling1 perhaps1 slightly discouraged1 or in need of some recreation1 he and his brother set out for ,chili1 under the pretence of joining the insurgents la ,poe and ,byron1 although ,i hardly believe that a man of thirty-two really capable of such a wild goose chase4 ,at all events1 when they reached ,valparaiso the rebellion had ceased and instead of handling a musket our ,jimmie opened his paint box instead4 ,the result was startling4 ,impressed by the new sights of southern scenery1 and in particular of the translucency and subdued brilliancy of the sky at night1 he painted one of his finest nocturnes1 the ,valparaiso ,harbour1 now at the ,national ,gallery of ,art4 ,the darkness of night to a large extent bars colour1 and furnishes a kind of tonal veil over all objects2 but in southern countries the nights are clearer and brighter and1 although forms and colours are indistinct1 they remain more plainly discernible than in the blackness of our ,northern nights4 ,after his return to ,london he worked hard at solving the problem of creating tone which would suggest atmosphere with as little subject matter as possible4 ,four years passed before he held the first exhibition of a ,variation and ,harmony4 ,he now began to feel his own strength4 ,he felt that he had done something new and had the courage to coin his own titles4 ,the method of classifying his pictures as ,harmonies and ,symphonies1 ,arrangements1 ,nocturnes1 ,notes1 and ,caprices1 was entirely his own invention and in his earlier career did much to attract attention to his work4 ,one year later1 in #ahgb1 exhibiting several symphonies1 he included for the first time an impression of night under the title of ,nocturne4 ,the years #ahgj-gg were probably the busiest and the most important ones of his whole career4 ,they produced not only the ,nocturne1 but also the ,peacock ,room and the painting which is generally conceded to be his masterpiece1 the ,portrait of the ,artist's ,mother4 ,success and fame at last knocked at his door4 ,mr4 ,f4 ,r4 ,leyland1 the rich ship-owner of ,liverpool1 proved a generous patron4 ,between #ahgb and #ahgd he ordered portraits of himself1 ,mrs4 ,leyland and the four children4 ,whistler made long visits at ,speke ,hall1 ,leyland's home near ,liverpool4 ,his paintings began to sell more readily than heretofore and several orders for interior decoration had come in1 among them the decoration of the music room of the famous violinist ,sarasate's home in ,paris4 ,he was willing to work at anything as long as he could carry out his own ideas4 ,he invented schemes for interior decoration and also once tried himself as an illustrator1 when he made exquisite drawings of the vases1 plates1 cups of blue and white ,nankin for the catalogue of ,sir ,h4 ,thompson's collection of porcelain4 7,ellis and ,elvey1 ,london1 #ahgh47 ,illustration3 ,national ,gallery1 ,washington ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black3 ,f4 ,r4 ,,leyland4 ,after leaving #g ,linsey ,row1 during the years #ahff-ahgh1 ,whistler lived in several other houses situated in the ,chelsea district1 for like so many of us that have got used to a certain part of the city1 he could never get away from it4 ,the most pretentious of these abodes was the ,white ,house which became one of the centres of attraction in the art life of ,london4 ,there he gave his famous ,sunday morning breakfasts1 which ,mr4 ,harper ,pennington describes so amusingly3 ,they were always late in being served1 outrageously delayed without apparent cause4 ,it was no uncommon thing for us to wait an hour1 or even two1 for the eggs1 fish1 cutlets1 and a sweet dish of which the meal consisted4 ,a bottle of very ordinary white wine was our only drink4 ,the whole thing1 in fact1 was an arrangement--just a colour scheme in yellow to match his blue and white porcelain and his yellow and blue dining room4 ,the room itself was unique in its effective and independent style of decoration4 ,it was entirely carried out after his own designs1 even to the painting of the exterior4 ,and the environment1 the ,thames1 the old church of ,chelsea with its square tower1 the peculiar shaped bridge of ,battersea1 the lights of ,cremorne in the distance1 all furnished interesting pictorial topics and played an important part in the painter's mise en scne4 ,his neighbours added to the lustre of this period4 ,in the same district at that time lived ,rossetti1 ,swinburne1 ,george ,meredith and ,carlyle1 and ,whistler was on friendly footing with all of them4 ,exhibitions of his work were now a regular occurrence4 ,in #ahgd he held his first one man's show of thirteen paintings and fifty prints at number #dh ,pall ,mall1 ,london4 ,in #ahgg he arranged an exhibition in the ,grosvenor ,gallery4 ,among the exhibits were ,the ,falling ,rocket 7,nocturne in black and gold7 which brought about the ,ruskin attacks1 and consequently the famous libel suit1 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin4 ,one can hardly imagine1 to-day1 why the picture should have created so much commotion2 but it was a decided innovation at that time1 an event in a way ushering in a new era of art4 ,now this particular style of representation has any number of disciples1 and we have accepted it as one of the principal assertions of modern art4 ,strange1 that history always repeats itself4 ,we should know by this time that our tastes and the tastes of time are not absolute1 and that our sense of beauty is likely to be affected by circumstances to an extent which we cannot realize4 ,there was a time1 and not so long ago1 when ,gothic buildings were regarded by the man of culture much as dandelions are regarded by the gardener4 ,for years the very name ,nocturne was a reproach4 ,it was supposed to be the product of idiosyncrasy and nonchalant audacity1 the work of a decadent period in art1 which1 because it was decadent1 could not be good1 for everything that looked like a ,whistler was regarded as a note of decadence4 ,it was an argument in a circle1 no doubt2 but such arguments seem most convincing when once a prejudice exists in the art world4 ,only gradually did people begin to see more than cleverness in his products4 ,oscar ,wilde was a constant friend of ,whistler's at this time4 ,the friendship was still young and1 for a while1 the two were inseparable4 ,the author of ,dorian ,gray spent hours in ,whistler's studio1 came repeatedly to the ,sunday breakfasts1 and presided at ,whistler's private views4 ,whistler went out and about with him everywhere4 ,but ,whistler gradually came to feel that ,wilde1 in spite of his brilliancy and wit1 lacked fundamental purpose4 ,wilde talked constantly about art1 but1 in the end1 ,whistler concluded that ,wilde1 like most modern authors1 knew very little about it4 ,the days of the ,renaissance1 of versatility1 of talent and appreciation seem to have passed4 ,whistler easily tired of his friends and1 although this friendship had lasted for years1 he finally dropped ,wilde without much ado4 ,a critic of ,the ,london ,times has summed up the difference between the two in the following words3 ,with a mind not a jot less keen than ,whistler's1 ,oscar ,wilde had none of the convictions1 the high faith for which ,whistler found it worth while to defy the crowd4 ,wilde had posed to attract the crowd4 ,and the difference was this1 that1 while ,whistler was a prophet who liked to play ,pierrot1 ,wilde grew into ,pierrot who liked to play the prophet4 ,like most artists who have suddenly sprung into fame1 ,whistler had lived beyond his means4 ,he was fond of comfort and elegance1 and allowed himself the fulfilment of any whim as long as it granted him genuine pleasure1 as art and joy should go together4 ,the auction sale of the contents of his home in #ahgi1 and the sale of his paintings at ,sotheby's in ,february1 #ahhj1 were perhaps not entirely caused by financial difficulties4 ,they may have been prompted in an equal degree by a desire to make a change and break the routine of the studio life4 ,he told1 however1 to his friends in his inimitable way how the sheriff's officer called upon him with a writ1 and the last bottle of champagne was brought out of the cellar for that worthy's delectation4 ,in ,venice1 where he went in ,september1 #ahgi1 he seems to have been in straitened circumstances for quite a while4 ,he lived in modest quarters and dined in cheap1 dingy places4 ,these were his polenta and macaroni days1 and1 in a way1 a repetition of his ,paris student's life1 only much harder to bear as he was older 7forty-five7 and used to luxury4 ,no matter what his reason may have been for breaking up his bachelor establishment it was the second turning point in his career4 ,painting did not play quite as important a part in ,whistler's life after his ,venetian sojourn4 ,he still painted a number of portraits1 among them the ,sarasate and ,comte ,montesquiou1 but he was more active as an etcher1 lithographer1 pamphleteer1 lecturer and teacher4 ,orders were scarce at all times4 ,the only regular portrait orders he had in the first half of the eighties were those of ,lady ,archibald ,campbell1 wife of the ,duke of ,argyll2 and of ,lady ,meux1 who liked her first portrait1 in a black evening gown with a white opera cloak against a black background1 so well that she had herself painted three times in succession4 ,whistler's sense of beauty was a strong feature in his work4 ,maybe it was not the sense of beauty an ,englishman would like4 ,he looked for a pictorial aspect1 rather than the lady in his sitter2 and in ,england the lady is the thing to secure in a portrait of a woman4 ,he returned to ,london in #ahhj1 but stayed only a short while4 ,during the next ten years he had no permanent home2 like a nomad he flitted from city to city1 from studio to studio through ,england1 ,france and ,belgium4 ,finally he found some sort of a resting place in the rue du ,bac #aaj1 for many years his ,paris home4 ,it was a two-story house with a garden enclosed by a wall1 as secluded a spot as one could find in the gay and noisy city4 ,he was always fond of gardens of flowers4 ,in the roses of his garden he buried his sorrows1 one of his most talented pupils1 ,e4 ,h4 ,wuerpel1 tells us1 in his little brochure ,my ,friend ,whistler4 ,in the meanwhile his ,london ,exhibitions became more and more numerous4 ,during the next fifteen years the following eight exhibitions are on record4 #ahha--;,jan4--,an exhibition of fifty-three pastels at the ,fine ,art ,society in ,bond ,st41 ,london4 #ahhc--;,feb4--,fifty-one etchings and dry points exhibited in ,bond ,st4 ,gallery1 ,london4 #ahhd--,may--,harmonies--,notes--,noctur nes--shown at the ,dowdswell ,gallery1 ,london4 ,at the same time an exhibition took place in ,paris and ,dublin4 ,they were arranged according to his own idea of exhibiting4 ,illustration3 ,,jo 7,,etching74 #ahhd--,nov4--,twenty-five works sent to the exhibition of the ,dublin ,sketching ,club4 #ahhf--,may--,a second series of ,notes--,harmonies--,nocturnes shown at the ,dowdswell ,gallery4 #ahhi--,the most representative exhibition of his works1 since that of #ahgd1 at the ,college for ,working ,women1 ,queen ,sq41 ,london4 #ahib--,mar4--,an exhibition of forty-four nocturnes1 marines and chevalet pieces for which ,whistler prepared the catalogue4 ,at the ,goupil ,galleries1 ,bond ,street1 ,london4 #ahie--;,dec4--,exhibitions of seventy lithographs1 ,london4 ,in the years following his death1 as is usually the case1 #aijd-je1 occurred the most important assemblage of his works--the memorial exhibition of ,glasgow1 ,boston1 ,paris and ,london4 ,of special interest are ,whistler's first ,american exhibits4 ,at the first exhibition of the ,society of ,american ,artists at the ,kurtz ,gallery1 ,new ,york1 #ahgh1 he was represented by a ,coast of ,brittany4 ,in the autumn of #ahha at the ,pennsylvania ,academy of ,fine ,arts he exhibited the portrait of his mother1 which was also seen the following spring at the ,society of ,american ,artists in ,new ,york4 ,sheridan ,ford once asked him why he did not exhibit more frequently in ,america4 ,whistler answered3 ,i don't know1 they will not allow me to take them across the ocean4 ,you see1 ,i don't own my pictures4 ,i sold most of them long ago to people who think more of them than they do of me4 ,i wrote and asked for two or three of them to take over1 and the answers ,i received were to the effect that ,i could have them to exhibit here1 but not to exhibit in ,america4 ,why8 ,because the owners are afraid of the ocean4 ,i said ,i would insure the pictures1 at which of course they laughed4 ,i may go and ,i may not4 ,a good many people in ,america don't like me1 and ,i am not there to fight them as ,i can fight my enemies here4 ,i don't mind having enemies where ,i can get at them4 ,i like the pleasure of whipping them2 but these fellows in ,america have it all their own way4 ,there is no record1 and ,i am at a constant disadvantage4 ,in #ahhd he was elected ,president of the ,royal ,society of ,british ,artists1 but soon quarrelled with the old-fashioned element among its members1 and the whole affair degenerated into one of those disputes upon which such copious light has been shed in ,the ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies4 ,the enforcement of the ,whistlerian policy of elimination and arrangement brought disaster upon the ,society4 ,the annual sales fell from #h1jjj in #ahhe to under #a1jjj in #ahhh4 ,it was time for the ideal exhibitor and manager of mise en scnes to retire4 ,and so he did1 if not accompanied by a cavalcade of buglers blowing a blast with1 at least1 as much noise and controversy as he could conjure up in these art-forsaken and colourless days4 ,it is not until towards the close of his life1 in #ahih1 that we find him again at the head of an artistic corporation1 when the ,international ,society was proud to acknowledge his leadership4 ,in #ahhj ,whistler made his dbut in ,germany at the ,international ,art ,exhibition of ,munich4 ,the result was not a flattering one4 ,the jury officiating on that occasion established a peculiar claim to the affectionate recollection of posterity by awarding a ,second ,class medal to the ,portrait of the ,artist's ,mother1 now in the ,luxembourg4 ,of course a jury has perfect rights to make awards as it pleases as long as the verdict is a competent and impartial one1 but ,whistler by this time was too well-known1 and one can hardly blame him that he wrote the following sarcastic but unusually dignified letter to the ,secretary of the ,central ,committee4 ,,sir3 ,i beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter1 officially informing me that the committee awards me a second class gold medal4 ,pray convey my sentiments of tempered and respectable joy to the gentlemen of the committee1 and my complete appreciation of the second-hand compliment paid me4 ,and ,i have1 ,sir1 ,the honour to be ,your most humble obedient servant1 ,j4 ,,mcneill ,,whistler4 ,after #ahie ,whistler ceased to hold exhibitions4 ,the death of his wife brought about a long silence1 and little was heard of ,whistler4 ,he had laid aside his jester's bells and cap and ceased pamphleteering and posing in public4 ,he had become a kind of recognized institution in the art world1 occupying a place apart from the masses of his contemporaries4 ,men of very dissimilar sthetic convictions agreed in regarding him as a painter of exceptional ability1 and he had a solid and appreciative following4 ,we in ,america wondered what had become of him4 ,occasionally a newspaper notice informed us that he had taken up teaching1 or false reports crossed the ocean that he had become a symbolist4 ,he himself was inactive1 as far as the public was concerned4 ,i suppose he was at last tired of notoriety and the cares of public life4 ,he had played his part and had played it well4 ,intimate friends tell us that he worked as hard as ever4 ,he still had many problems to solve1 if for nobody else but himself1 and was satisfied that he could afford to devote his time to them4 ,financially he was fairly well situated2 but he spent money extravagantly1 and the two residences and various studios he kept up in ,paris and ,london proved at all times a heavy drain on his income1 which was derived entirely from his art products4 ,he left about ten thousand pounds1 a rather small sum1 considering the prices he received for some of his paintings4 ,his school in the ,passage ,stanislaw1 opposite ,carolus ,duran's home1 was neither a necessity nor a particular pleasure to him4 ,he opened it for the sole benefit of one of his favourite models1 ,mme4 ,carmen ,rossi1 who1 as a child1 had posed for the painter4 ,she received the entire profits and it is said that during the three years that the school existed she made enough to retire in comfort4 ,the school was opened in the autumn of #ahih and closed in #aija4 ,he was too impatient to be a good teacher2 he simply came there and painted and the pupils saw him paint and learned what they could1 just as did the apprentices of the ,old ,masters4 ,he taught solely the science of painting1 neither colour nor composition4 ,he had an abhorrence of talking art1 and one of the anecdotes he liked to relate was that he had known ,rossetti for years and had talked art many1 many times but painting only once4 ,he even refused to discuss technicalities4 ,there was no talk of pigments1 mediums1 varnish or methods of applying them4 ,he worked with his pupils1 that was all4 ,like the apprentices of old they had to pick up their knowledge themselves1 and if he found something that he liked his usual praise consisted of ,go right on1 or ,continuez1 continuez4 ,on the wall was tacked his second series of propositions which endorsed his constant advice to pupils3 ,if you possess superior faculties1 so much the better1 allons1 develop them2 but should you lack them1 so much the worse1 for despite all efforts you will never produce anything of interest4 ,good common sense1 but1 after all1 a slight return for the tuition fee4 ,it should have induced most pupils to pack up their paint boxes and return home4 ,as ,leon ,dabo1 in his lecture on ,whistler's ,technique at the ,metropolitan ,museum of ,art1 has so well observed3 ,nothing is more absurd than the notion1 so widely promulgated by elderly maiden ladies who misspend their energies writing about paintings and painters from ,cimabue to ,whistler1 that a work of art is produced as the logical result of an apprenticeship served in an art school4 ,there probably is much juxtaposition of this belief--we all know the painters whose only reason for lowering intensely blue sky is because it is too blue2 the painters who labour1 heaping up chunks of paint until it looks 'right2' but with ,whistler a canvas advanced in an entirely different manner4 ,he knew scientifically that he could use only so much of a given tone if he wished to produce colour1 and he knew what other tone to place in juxtaposition1 what parts of the canvas must hold the spectator's eye1 in varying degrees of interest1 in order to obtain the effect he desired to give and its use in the butterfly1 the exact spot of a sail on the ocean1 a light on the horizon1 all these1 to many insignificant objects and spots1 nevertheless do their work1 either to re-vivify an otherwise large surface or to hold the eye momentarily interested1 until the ambience was obtained4 ,and this science--the effect of line and colour on the eye1--is practically unknown to painters1 is untaught in our art schools4 ,this mastery over his means and material ,whistler possessed in a higher degree than any other modern painter4 ,in #aijb he once more took a house in ,london and selected ,cheyne ,walk1 an old mansion covered with ivy1 near the ,thames in the ,chelsea district1 where he had spent so many years during the beginning of his career4 ,friends could not imagine why he came back from ,paris to ,london1 as he disliked the place1 its climate and its art4 ,they simply forgot that he was a lover of atmospheric effects1 and that ,london fogs and the ,thames were1 after all1 nearest to his heart4 ,in the summer of #aijb he contemplated a short trip to ,holland in the company of ,mr4 ,ch4 ,w4 ,freer1 but was taken sick in ,flushing4 ,after consulting some doctors in ,the ,hague1 he recovered sufficiently to return to ,london and set to work1 but only one year in the old haunts was granted him4 ,he had just entered upon his seventieth year when he died suddenly on ,july #ag1 #aijc4 ,he suffered from some internal complaint1 the exact nature of which is unknown4 ,he had felt ill for several days1 but on the seventeenth his condition had so improved that he ordered a cab for a drive4 ,on leaving the house he was seized with a fit1 but recovered2 a short while later he had another spasm1 which killed him4 ,he was interred 7on the #bbnd7 in the family burial plot in the churchyard of the old church at ,chelsea 7which his mother had regularly attended71 near the grave of ,hogarth4 ,the coffin1 covered with purple pall1 was carried to the church followed by the honorary pall-bearers and relatives on foot4 ,the pall-bearers were3 ,sir ,james ,guthrie 7president of the ,royal ,scottish ,academy72 ,charles ,w4 ,freer1 ,george ,w4 ,vanderbilt1 ,edwin ,a4 ,abbey1 ,john ,lavery 7of the ,r4 ,s4 ,academy7 and the art critic1 ,theodore ,duret2 all personal friends of ,whistler's4 ,illustration3 ,,wapping ,,wharf 7,,etching74 ,the relatives present included the ,misses ,philip and ,f4 ,l4 ,philip1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,cecil ,lawson1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,charles ,whibley and ,edwin ,w4 ,godwin4 ,although no announcement of the funeral was made in ,london papers many distinguished friends and acquaintances crowded the church4 ,beautiful wreaths were sent by ,vanderbilt1 ,lawrence1 ,alma ,tadema and various federations and societies4 ,those present were3 ,george ,w4 ,vanderbilt1 ,mr4 ,joseph ,pennell1 ,rev4 ,h4 ,c4 ,leserve of ,boston1 ,johnson ,sturges1 ,r4 ,f4 ,knoedler and ,i4 ,m4 ,b4 ,mac,nary of ,new ,york ,city2 ,m4 ,dumont of the ,international ,society of ,painters2 ,marcus ,bourne ,huish1 editor of the ,art ,journal2 ,thomas ,armstrong2 and ,alfred ,east 7,a4 ,r4 ,a474 ,when a reporter called at the house ,july #ahth he was informed that the artist had left stringent instructions that no information whatever regarding his illness or death should be given either to his friends or the newspapers4 ,he remained true to his eccentricities1 or rather to his peculiar personality4 ,even in his exit from this life to the thrones of glory beyond1 he endeavoured to make it as odd and picturesque as possible4 ,he played his part to the last4 ,and it was one of the noblest parts ever played by man4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,butterfly ,the famous butterfly monogram1 originally a decorative combination of the letters ,j4 ,m4 ,w41 which evolved into a decorative design of a butterfly1 enclosed in a circle1 as it appeared in his ,sarasate and ,carlyle1 and1 frequently1 a mere stencil-like silhouette as seen in his correspondence1 began to appear in ,whistler's pictures in the late sixties4 ,the ,symphony in ,gray and ,green--,the ,ocean 7painted in #ahff7 was probably the first important canvas in which it was introduced4 ,in his earlier pictures he had made use of an ordinary written signature as most painters use4 ,it is strange that it took an artist of ,whistler's sensitiveness so long to realize the incongruities of these crude calligraphic displays4 ,they disfigure many a good picture and smack of the materialism of this age4 ,every picture should have a signature1 if for no other reason than to prove the authenticity at some future time4 ,but surely it can be treated with more discretion than it is to-day4 ,the ,old ,masters frequently handled it with ingenuity and some degree of modesty4 ,it was the ,japanese artist who gave it a decorative significance4 ,the red cartouches of ,hiroshige are known to every print collector4 ,he considered it a part of the picture1 a colour note or vehicle of balance in an empty space1 as important a detail of composition as any other4 ,whistler treated his monogram in the same conscientious and picturesque fashion4 ,he used it with preference in his symphonies1 nocturnes and large portraits1 but1 at times1 also in white1 as on a rail post in the lower right corner of his ,bognor4 ,he handled it with more than ordinary reverence1 as everything that pertained to the exploiting of his own personality4 ,he often introduced it at the first painting to judge the effect1 and1 of course1 he wiped or scraped it out over and over again until he procured the desired effect4 ,he continually made slight changes in the design1 he toyed with it as with some curio1 elaborated it in many ways1 and1 eventually1 even bestowed a sting upon the insect1 as it appears in his ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies4 ,the butterfly teaches a lesson4 ,it proves that an artist can be self-assertive1 arrogant and yet refined4 ,whistler thus introduced a method of picture signing that should be generally adopted4 ,every artist should have his own monogram1 and use it with discretion4 ,but it has even a deeper significance in ,whistler's life4 ,it is in a way a symbol of his evolution as a painter4 ,as we study his work we find that the butterfly monogram does not appear before ,whistler freed himself from foreign influences1 and invented an individual and independent style of his own4 ,the butterfly may well stand for the full awakening and realization of his own faculties4 ,did he not say himself3 ,in the pale citron wing of the butterfly1 with its dainty spots of orange1 he saw the stately halls of fair gold1 with their slender saffron pillars1 and was taught how the delicate drawing high upon the walls should be traced in slender tones of orpiment and repeated by the base in notes of graver hue4 ,like all painters ,whistler had to learn his trade1 and then find his peculiar way of expression4 ,it took him well nigh a quarter of a century4 ,he entered the studio of ,gleyre in the summer of #ahee as a young man of twenty-one1 and was nearly forty-seven when he had finished the ,portrait of the ,artist's ,mother and had painted a few nocturnes4 ,all his earlier pictures remind us of some other master4 ,the ,music ,room recalls ,stevens1 ,the ,blue ,wave3 ,biarritz the forceful style of ,courbet1 and ,the ,white ,symphony even the light manner of ,alma ,tadema4 ,charles ,gleyre was an excellent draughtsman of the ,ingres school1 but all he could teach his pupils was to draw4 ,that he had once been capable of some finer appreciation of colour and atmosphere1 students of art may notice in his ,evening1 painted in #ahdc1 but he became1 like so many other painters of this period1 the victim of the academic style4 ,outline drawing reigned supreme1 there was room for nothing else1 and it was surely not a congenial environment for young ,whistler1 who1 even at that time1 differed with the prevalent ideas of art4 ,drawing1 however1 is one of the most important factors of the technique of painting4 ,velasquez even thought it was the most important one1 and ,whistler1 with the peculiar tendency of his art1 was1 no doubt1 fortunate that he reached ,paris while draughtsmanship was still honoured and not neglected1 as in the later days of the impressionists4 ,a student in ,paris either becomes an enthusiastic worker from the nude1 making one study after the other1 like all those ,julian and ,colarossi pupils--or he gets so imbued with the art atmosphere that he sets about on conquests of his own1 and the city of ,seine1 with its museums1 monuments1 artists1 population1 pleasures and sights is just the right place for free lance education4 ,whistler chose the latter way4 ,the canvases of this period show strong influences of ,stevens and ,courbet4 ,he must have been enamoured with the style of that great painter of woman1 as he was undoubtedly with the rude sincerity of ,courbet4 ,if any man could paint at that time it was ,courbet4 ,he was the simplifier of planes and values1 who advocated frankness and freedom of expression1 and detached painting from all the absurdities and abstractions of the classic and romantic periods4 ,from him ,whistler learned to put on his pigments in a bold1 vigorous way4 ,he was never fond of brushwork1 but at that time he liked to pile it on in a flat and solid manner4 ,only gradually his brushwork became thinner and thinner1 invisible and almost untraceable1 carrying out his maxim3 ,a picture is finished when all traces of means used to bring about the end have disappeared4 ,as is the case with all great paintings1 one must forget all about technique4 ,from ,stevens he learned1 as he often said in later years1 all that could be learned from him4 ,i believe that the influence was subtler and more spiritual1 and one that lasted all his life4 ,stevens was for him what the chart from which we learn history in school days remains for us4 ,we can never forget it and entirely get away from it4 ,in the beginning1 of course1 it was a technical preference4 ,like ,stevens1 he used precise outlines1 a profusion of details and yet with all a poetic atmosphere that is produced principally by a beautiful juxtaposition of colour values4 ,even to-day few of ,whistler's earlier canvases have more admirers than the ,harmony in ,green and ,rose1 perhaps better known as ,the ,music ,room 7in the possession of ,frank ,j4 ,hecker74 ,it was painted in #ahfj1 in the ,london home of ,haden1 the painter-etcher4 ,this picture was first known as ,the ,morning ,call4 ,in the corner of the room a mirror reflects the profile of a woman1 who is not represented in the picture4 ,this is a portrait of ,lady ,seymour ,haden1 ,whistler's stepsister1 with whom he was lodging at the time4 ,in front of the window hang a pair of white curtains with a green and red flower pattern4 ,a young woman 7,miss ,booth1 a relative of the ,hadens7 in a black riding habit1 which she holds up with her gloved hand1 stands on the dark red carpet4 ,in the background sits a little girl reading4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,frank ,j4 ,hecker ,,harmony ,,in ,,green ,,and ,,rose3 ,,the ,,music ,,room4 ,another more exotic influence became palpable in his work soon after1 and exercised an almost despotic control for several years4 ,at the ,paris ,exposition ,universelle of #ahfc ,whistler became acquainted1 for the first time1 with ,japanese art4 ,the ,parisian artists1 particularly the set with which ,whistler was acquainted1 got colour mad4 ,the suggestiveness of ,oriental composition1 which accentuates detail here and neglects it there2 the peculiar space arrangement and the decorative treatment of detail1 captivated all modern spirit4 ,edmond and ,jules de ,goncourt1 the sthetes of the ,empire1 and the forerunners of the ,japanese enthusiasts1 and specialists like ,cernuschi1 ,regamey1 ,guimet1 and ,bing became the spokesmen for ,japanese bibelots4 ,paris was deluged with little art objects fashioned out of bronze1 porcelain1 cloisonne1 jade1 ivory1 wood and metal4 ,everybody started a collection1 and became a member of the ,societ du ,jinglar1 with annual meetings at ,svres1 which was fanatically devoted to the worship and exploitation of ,eastern art4 ,the harmonious arrangement of the ,japanese colour prints in particular fascinated the cognoscenti4 ,the application of colour in ,japanese art is somewhat different to ours4 ,it is more primitive1 and based on the decorative principle of simultaneous contrast4 ,it deals solely with flat tints with occasional gradations on the outer edges1 and vibration is produced by the simple method of letting the paper1 or silk1 shine through the pigment4 ,if ,japanese colouring does not directly recall the polychromic designs of primitive people1 of pottery decorations1 wall designs1 carpets and mats1 ,scandinavian wood ornamentation1 etc41 the reason is entirely to be found in its refinement and finish4 ,it has the same origin2 a totem pole is the beginning1 and a ,japanese print about the end of the development4 ,true enough1 coloured prints were classified as vulgar art4 ,they were considered ordinary pictorial commodities of no more importance to the natives than coloured supplements to our ,sunday readers4 ,but they were of such exquisite finish that we wonderingly ask ourselves if the nobler branches of art in this country really reached a higher standard of perfection4 ,it is hardly possible4 ,it was rather their application than their art value which offended the nobility4 ,many of the most cherished prints of ,kiyonaga1 ,sharaku1 ,shunsho1 and ,outomaro1 depicting teahouse scenes1 actors1 wrestlers and ladies of the ,yoshiwara1 were drawn for no other purpose than to serve as souvenir cards and advertisements4 ,the colour appreciation of the ,japanese clerk1 labourer and peasant must have been developed to an exceptional degree1 if these designs1 that were so cheap that everybody bought them as we do newspapers1 could arouse nothing but ordinary appreciation and matter-of-fact comment4 ,the ,japanese used colours in combinations that seem strange and unusual to us4 ,they did not seem to care about any complementary laws1 but introduced yellow with pink1 purple with green1 brown with red without the slightest hesitation4 ,this may be explained by the restraint of their palette4 ,their old hand-made colours are all keyed in middle tints2 they did not lack decision or strength1 but they were never loud or vehement4 ,thus arrangements were possible that would look crude with the use of ,western colours4 ,cheret's and ,toulouse ,lautrec's posters1 even when of three-sheet dimensions and seen in open air1 seldom expressed more than contrast and animation4 ,they worked on the principle of the ,japanese colour print1 but in a very crude and superficial fashion4 ,they wished to startle1 not to please4 ,if colour is seen in flat tint patches it produces a more vivid image on the retina than a pictorial representation of mixed pigments1 as flat tints are more favourable to the brilliancy of colour4 ,each separate soft tint creates a complementary image1 and the eye would be easily fatigued if the colours were strong4 ,in the ,japanese colour print they are softened and blended together not so much by the skilful and harmonious juxtaposition1 as by the suavity of the medium1 the introduction of neutral tints1 the mellow white foundation of the paper1 and the arrangement of shapes encased in precise lines4 ,the ,european painter had a different idea4 ,although recognizing the supremacy of colour1 he took visual appearances as they were and actually appeared in life as guiding models for his representations4 ,colour became submerged in other qualities almost equally important1 as those of line1 perspective1 chiaroscura1 relief drawing and minute observation4 ,the ,eastern artist applied colour for colour's sake1 and kept all other elements1 notably those of line1 feeling1 shape and space arrangement independent--not independent as far as the tonality of the final effect was concerned1 but independent in their function as vehicles of expression4 ,they were never diffused in the same way as in an ,old ,master4 ,each line1 shape and colour had to tell its own story1 while in ,western art composition1 colour and idea often became inseparable by the application of the blurred outline4 ,whistler1 at this stage of his development1 was interested simply in recreating ,japanese colour arrangements1 to paint local values in such a way that they would reflect the beauty1 contrast and variety of an ,outamaro print4 ,the pictures of this period remind one of that capricious ,chinese princess1 of whom ,heinrich ,heine speaks1 whose quaint and solitary pleasure consisted of tearing costly silks into tatters1 to scatter the rags to the winds and to watch them flutter like rose1 blue and yellow butterflies to the lily ponds below4 ,already in his ,woman in ,white ,whistler had shown some preferences for colour1 but not until after he had taken his first house in ,london1 when his mother came to live with him1 did he show those peculiar outbursts of colour that were a direct outcome of the study of ,japanese prints4 ,in later years it was all tone1 but in the years #ahfc-ff1 it was all colour1 with a preference for white4 ,the principal pictures of this period were ,lange ,leizen of the ,six ,marks3 ,in purple and rose 7in the possession of ,john ,g4 ,johnson72 ,the ,little ,white ,girl 7owned by ,arthur ,studd71 ,the ,golden ,screen1 ,the ,princess of the ,porcelain ,land1 and ,the ,balcony3 ,variations of ,flesh ,colour 7owned by ,charles ,w4 ,freer7 and ,the ,white ,symphony 7owned by ,john ,g4 ,whittemore74 ,whistler clothed his ,english models in ,eastern dress1 and reproduced the beautiful colours with ,japanese detail4 ,he was among the first to appreciate the beauty of ,chinese porcelain1 of which he owned many choice pieces4 ,in his ,lange ,leizen is shown a young woman in a ,japanese costume1 seated and holding with her left hand on her lap a blue and white vase of the shape known in ,holland as the ,lange ,leizen of the ,six ,marks 7referring to the potter's mark on the bottom of the vase74 ,her right hand1 covered by the sleeve of the kimono1 is raised and holds a brush4 ,her skirt is black with a delicate design in colours4 ,the kimono is cream white1 decorated with bright flowers and lined with rose colours4 ,around her hair1 which falls over her shoulders1 is tied a black scarf4 ,on the floor are several blue and white vases and an ,oriental carpet4 ,to the right is a red covered table1 and behind the figure is a chest4 ,the painting is signed ,whistler1 #ahfd1 in the upper right-hand corner4 ,the frame was designed by ,whistler himself and decorated with ,chinese fret and six marks4 ,it was shown in the ,royal ,academy of #ahfd4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,john ,g4 ,johnson ,,lange ,,leizen ,,of ,,the ,,six ,,marks3 ,,purple ,,and ,,rose4 ,another picture of this period is the ,golden ,screen4 ,a young woman in ,japanese costume is seated on a brown rug1 her head seen in profile1 as she examines a ,japanese print4 ,she wears a purple kimono decorated with multicoloured flowers and bordered with a vermilion scarf1 and a green obi tied around her waist2 her outer kimono is white with a red flowered design4 ,to the left is a tea box1 some roses and a white vase with pansies4 ,hiroshige prints are scattered over the floor4 ,the background consists of a folding screen with ,japanese houses and figures1 painted on a gold ground4 ,these two pictures are far from being satisfactory4 ,the composition is restless1 the colours do not harmonize1 and the figure is one of that peculiar nightmarish type which some artists affect2 a being belonging to that peculiar class of humanity who wear slouch drapery instead of tailor-made costumes1 and carry crystal balls1 urns and sunflowers as an sthetic amusement1 ,i suppose1 about their person4 ,the model for both these pictures was ,joanna ,heffernan1 an ,irish girl1 neither particularly handsome nor well educated2 but she was a good model1 who adapted herself easily to a painter's idea1 and her native wit and willingness to learn atoned for any lack of knowledge4 ,she generally read while she was posing for ,whistler1 and as she talked with his friends1 posed for other artists and visited picture exhibitions1 she played quite an important part in the painter's life during his early years in ,london4 ,she went to ,paris in the winter of #ahfa-b to pose for ,the ,woman in ,white1 in his studio on the boulevard des ,battignoles4 ,he painted her in a number of other pictures1 notably as ,jo and ,the ,little ,white ,girl4 ,although different in each picture1 now young1 now more mature1 in one case a lady and in another a buxom girl1 she is really beautiful in none1 though always attractive4 ,he probably merely used her as a suggestion4 ,he liked to have her in his studio even when he did not paint her form or features4 ,there is also a dry point of ,jo1 dated #ahfa1 which shows her with streaming hair1 which is probably the nearest approach to a likeness4 ,it is a beautiful bit of drawing and interesting as a space arrangement4 ,it shows how a head can almost fill the entire space of a picture without becoming obtrusive or looking too large4 ,the line work is excellent in its purity of design and apparent carelessness4 ,a change of method is noticeable in ,the ,little ,white ,girl1 the colour scheme of which is exquisite4 ,the white dress of the young girl1 in profile1 with loosened hair1 leaning against a mantelpiece1 and her reflection in the glass1 are accentuated in a beautiful manner by the brilliant colour notes of a red lacquer box1 a blue and white vase1 a fan with a ,hiroshige-like design and a decorative arrangement of pink and purple azaleas4 ,the painting is thinner and there is greater repose in the composition4 ,swinburne saw the picture before it was sent up to the ,royal ,academy in #ahfe1 and expressed his admiration by writing ,before the ,mirror4 ,verses under a ,picture3 ,come snow1 come wind or thunder1 ,high up in the air ,i watch my face and wonder ,at my bright hair4 ,naught else exalts or grieves ,the rose at heart that heaves ,with love of our own leaves1 and lips that pair4 ,i cannot tell what pleasures ,or what pains were1 ,what pale new loves and treasures ,new ,years will bear1 ,what beam will fall1 what shower ,with grief or joy for dower4 ,but one thing knows the flower1 the flower is fair4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,arthur ,studd ,,symphony ,,in ,,white1 ,,ii3 ,,the ,,little ,,white ,,girl4 ,la ,princesse du ,pays de la ,porcelaine 7,whistler apparently was fond of using elaborate titles7 is perhaps his finest work in vivid colouring4 ,the colour differentiations are well placed1 but the canvas1 after all1 looks too much like a huge ,japanese print1 painted in the ,western style1 which represents objects round and in relief1 and not merely in flat tints4 ,the placing of the screen with the face looming above it is as peculiar as it is attractive1 but it is an arrangement that is strictly ,japanese in character4 ,whistler began with painting detail1 and only gradually learned to see life in a broader and more mysterious way4 ,it is a portrait of ,miss ,christie ,spartali1 a real ,rossetti type1 daughter of the ,consul-,general for ,greece in ,london in #ahfc4 ,her father did not like it2 but ,rossetti did1 and sold it from his own studio to help ,whistler along4 ,later it came into the possession of ,f4 ,r4 ,leyland1 and was used to decorate the ,peacock ,room4 ,it was first exhibited at the ,paris ,salon of #ahfe4 ,it is really a combination of ,rossetti and ,outomaro1 with a slight flavour of ,whistler's individuality4 ,illustration3 ,national ,gallery1 ,washington ,,the ,,princess ,,of ,,the ,,porcelain ,,land4 ,on the ,balcony 7exhibited first in #ahff7 of the ,freer collection is a peculiar combination of models masquerading in kimonos and a background of ,english river scenery4 ,he essayed the same task as ,chavannes in his mural decorations1 i4 e41 to determine the local tints of each face or arm by the surrounding colours4 ,the problem was made still more difficult by showing each face in a different illumination4 ,one face is silhouetted in profile against the river1 another shaded by a fan and the form of a standing figure1 the others are seen in front light4 ,i do not believe he has ever attempted a more ambitious problem1 and he solved it in a most subtle and convincing fashion4 ,it is a delightful harmony in colour1 and exceedingly well-balanced2 it reminds one of the ,japanese1 but the colour and vibrating atmosphere is ,occidental4 ,pity that he found it necessary to introduce ,japanese costumes4 ,i perfectly realize that one of the principal charms of this picture is the incongruity of the ensemble4 ,yet who ever saw in a ,london town such a balcony with ,japanese awnings1 and ,english girls dressed up like geishas1 whiling away the early hours of the night4 ,the figures belong neither to ,japan nor ,great ,britain4 ,they are simply there for colour's sake1 but1 after all1 such associations of thought1 no matter whether in paint or poetry1 never constitute the greatest art4 ,the composition is more restful and simpler than in his earlier works4 ,when ,whistler began to realize this shortcoming of his earlier style1 he turned away from orchestral explosions of colour and volleys of paint1 and began that wonderful process of elimination which helped him to become one of the greatest painters of the nineteenth century4 ,illustration3 ,national ,gallery1 ,washington ,,on ,,the ,,balcony3 ,,variations ,,in ,,flesh-,,colour ,,and ,,green4 ,in his later work ,whistler returned once more to vivid colouring4 ,it was solely in pastels and water colours1 never in oils4 ,and the butterfly1 the symbol of ,whistler's individuality1 fluttered gaily from picture to picture1 from print to print1 and letter to letter2 now disappearing in greyish mists1 then peeping forth from a dark olive background1 and again asserting his existence at times as a mere shadow1 as a dark or coral red silhouette4 ,changing his colour and size on every canvas2 he is now shaded blue1 brown1 rose1 red1 violet or peacock blue and then1 suddenly assuming unusually large proportions1 he spreads his wings in full flight to be lost once more as a grey1 almost imperceptible spot1 in some twilight atmosphere4 ,at one moment he appears on a vase1 a rug1 or a curtain4 ,he floats on the sea1 rest on doorposts1 wings his way over flowers and rocks1 shifts sportively from the lower left to the right corner1 thereupon rises to almost the middle of the canvas1 flutters around the figures1 even touches their forms delicately1 as a dainty creature may do1 and continues his endless variations and gyrations2 ever ready to assert the final approval of the master4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,omission ,a ,blue-black night1 broken by sparks of bursting skyrockets and weird forms of light1 in which two illuminated towers are vaguely indicated4 ,to the left a cluster of foliage and a crowd of people1 felt rather than seen4 ,such is the subject matter of this little #ag x #bc canvas which probably excited more controversy and discussion than any other of ,whistler's pictures4 ,it was scarcely noticed when it was first exhibited at the ,dudley ,gallery in ,october4 ,but in #ahgg the storm broke loose1 and the famous libel suit against ,ruskin1 and the record of all details of the trial in a brown-covered pamphlet1 under the title ,whistler v4 ,ruskin1 ,art and ,art ,critics 7in #ahgh71 were the immediate results4 ,and the discussion con or pro has not ceased to this very day4 ,some call it merely a clever sketch2 others consider it one of the highest expressions beauty is capable of4 ,what is there so remarkable and fascinating in this picture1 that it can exercise such an influence6 ,technically it is not perfect1 the blacks are rather opaque1 and it does not possess the haunting charm of the ,old ,battersea ,bridge or even of the ,valparaiso ,harbour4 ,is it the subject matter8 ,fireworks were never painted before1 or1 at least1 did not constitute the sole motif of a picture4 ,yet this should be no objection4 ,fireworks are one of the modern amusements that enjoy great popularity4 ,there should be no objection to their representation1 as little as to a baseball game1 a prize fight or any realistic phase of our personal life4 ,the curious interest of this painting1 or any of ,whistler's nocturnes1 does not lie merely in the novelty of the subject 7i4 e4 novel to pictorial representation71 nor that it depicts the mystery of night in an unusual manner1 as some artists and writers claim4 ,its significance lies much deeper4 ,it actually represents the beginning of a new way of painting1 not merely of atmospheric conditions1 but of an art different in its intentions from any previous form of representation4 ,during the trial ,whistler himself gave the following definition of a nocturne3 ,i have perhaps meant rather to indicate an artistic interest alone in the work1 divesting the picture of any sort of interest which might have been otherwise attached to it4 ,it is an arrangement of line1 form and colour first1 and ,i make use of any incident which shall bring about a symmetrical result4 ,among my works are some night pieces1 and ,i have chosen the word ',nocturne' because it generalizes and simplifies the whole set of them4 ,after ,whistler had stated that he had worked two days on the ,falling ,rocket1 the ,general ,attorney said3 ,the labour of two days1 then1 is that for what you ask two hundred guineas8 ,to which ,whistler replied3 ,no--,i ask it for the knowledge of a life-time4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,mrs4 ,samuel ,untermyer ,,nocturne ,,in ,,black ,,and ,,gold3 ,,the ,,falling ,,rocket4 ,this is hardly a satisfactory explanation4 ,it merely informs us that the consideration of line1 form and colour is more important than the incident depicted4 ,have not all painters worked in that way6 ,the actual manipulation of the pigment on the canvas is the supreme pleasure of every genuine painter4 ,but the source of inspiration after all lies in the incident that is in the line1 form and colour indicated by the incident4 ,or does ,whistler wish to convince us that he mentally invented a colour scheme and then set out to find the incident8 ,he might have said to himself1 ,i want to paint a night scene1 in blue and gold1 and ,i want such a silhouette to dominate the scene1 but1 after all1 the incident had to furnish1 or rather suggest1 the possibilities of the mental vision4 ,he1 more than most painters1 saw poetry in nature4 ,his wonderful description of a river scene at night in the ,ten ,o'clock vouches for that4 ,read these lines that are worthy of any poet3 ,when the evening mist clothes the riverside with 'poetry' as with a veil1 and the poor buildings lose themselves in the dim sky and the tall chimneys become campanile1 and the warehouses are palaces in the night1 and the whole city hangs in the heavens1 and the fairy land is before us--then the wayfarer hastens home1 the workman and the cultured one1 the wise and the one of pleasures cease to understand as they have ceased to see1 and nature1 who for once has sung in tune1 sings her exquisite song to the artist alone1 her son and her master2 her son in that he loves her1 and her master in that he knows her4 ,a man who wrote like that surely received his inspirations from nature1 and was dependent on the incident as much as anybody else4 ,no1 the true significance of his nocturne1 as remarked before1 lies in the original intention1 not in the final effect of the subject he wished to produce4 ,for conventionalist and impressionist alike1 nature is the source of symbols for their mood4 ,with them the standpoint is remarkably different from that of the superficial realists1 who imagine that the mere copy of a scene must give the emotion that the scene itself arouses2 who forget that the artist's emotion is as much a selective factor as his vision of the objective signs needful for the communication of his feeling to his public4 ,he probably wished to remain under cover1 and not come out boldly and say3 ,this is the ,japanese way of doing things4 ,i disengage the poetical significance from an object or fact in ,eastern fashion4 ,i have learned this from the ,hiroshige prints4 ,few artists are willing to lay bare the mechanism of their individual way of interpretation4 ,they would be misunderstood anyhow4 ,painters would have rejoiced to call him a downright imitator4 ,and that is just the point where he differed from the average artist who followed the ,eastern trail of art4 ,he succeeded in combining the two great art elements of the world1 those of the ,east and the ,west4 ,in the sixties he was interested merely in a phase of ,japanese art1 that of colour4 ,hiroshige prints were hung on the wall or scattered on the floor of his studio1 as can be noted in several of his earlier paintings4 ,the ,japanese artists were virtuosos of colour4 ,they combined the most contradictory colours into a harmony1 nuances which for centuries had escaped the appreciation of the ,european eye4 ,after many experiments ,whistler realized that this refined sense of colour was only one of the external accomplishments of ,japanese art1 that its true soul was revealed in its suggestive quality4 ,the ,japanese artists work without perspective1 shadows and reflections1 and even when they apply them they do so in a purely decorative way4 ,they rely entirely on design1 on line and the juxtaposition of flat colour shapes4 ,they do not care to produce an illusion1 as if the frame afforded a view on a scene of actual life4 ,they are satisfied with making a mere delineation1 a suggestion of a beautiful gown or mountain view4 ,in literature1 or even in such a simple matter as the naming of things1 the ,japanese invariably give play to the exercise of their imagination to bring out a suggestive effect4 ,the same tendency extends into their fine arts4 ,in treating objects of nature1 however insignificant1 the ,japanese artist strives to suggest or indicate some sentiment beyond what is conveyed by the facts represented1 just as the poet strives to store up a mine of thought in the thirty-one syllables of an ordinary verse1 the ,tanka1 or in the still shorter ,haikai of seventeen syllables4 ,in short1 the ,japanese artist exerts himself to produce more than beauty of form or colour4 ,this quality is less apparent in the coloured wood print so popular with ,westerners4 ,an ,outomaro is really lacking suggestiveness4 ,it runs too much into technical detail1 and just for that reason perhaps we more readily understand the ,european artists4 ,take for instant a simple representation of summer plants1 merely a few stalks4 ,the artist is not satisfied to show us the actual facts but endeavours to indicate something beyond what is actually represented1 the delight of a flowery field in summer or the cool refreshing breeze under which the plants are bending and swaying4 ,the ,western artists hitherto entertained a different ideal and though there were many schools1 each advocating a different ideal1 they all agreed on one point3 that they had to create an illusion1 with modelling1 rotundity of form1 light1 shade and distance4 ,suggesting a fact is subtler than actually representing a fact4 ,a sketch has something1 a virility and freshness that a finished painting rarely has4 ,we prefer ,courbet to ,ingres1 ,israels to ,leighton4 ,there must be something left to imagination1 to our emotions and sthetic consciousness4 ,the ,japanese leave most to imagination4 ,their method lacks strength but is capable of conveying finer poetic sentiments4 ,their vision is clearer1 more rapid and less disturbed by intellectual preoccupations than ours4 ,they are perhaps more perceptual than conceptual4 ,not that they lack deep poignant expression1 but that they are deficient in intensity and depth of representation4 ,the grandiose unity of effect of a ,titian1 ,tintoretto or ,rubens is beyond the kakemono and colour print4 ,they succeeded in some instances in adumbrating in lines of conventional severity and precision strange and mystical intimations of spiritual existence4 ,but we find it difficult to discern these qualities as we need more than suggestion to arrive at such conclusions4 ,whistler tried and succeeded in translating this suggestiveness in such a manner that the ,western mind could understand and appreciate it4 ,how did he accomplish this task6 ,he realized that he could not abandon atmosphere1 light and distance4 ,he had to apply the ,eastern principle without deteriorating the ,western technique4 ,to proceed like the ,japanese would have resulted in a failure4 ,his ,princess of the ,porcelain ,land must have taught him this4 ,he strove for something else than a mere resemblance4 ,he adopted certain ideas of space arrangement1 certain forms of design and the elimination of detail4 ,the underlying composition reminds of the ,japanese1 but not the finish4 ,hiroshige was the first designer of ,japanese colour prints who devoted himself largely to landscapes with figures1 and with ,eastern ingenuity almost exhausted the subject4 ,his ,hundred ,views of ,fusi-yama contain the most startling designs and problems of composition that have ever been attempted1 and they are treated with incomparable boldness1 and solved with astounding skill4 ,the rarest aspects of nature are treated with perfect balance4 ,it is a play of curves and geometrical shapes that bewilders the ,western mind that has been content with comparatively few formul4 ,the vista idea of representing a scene as if viewed through the frame of a doorway1 which ,whistler so frequently used in his etchings as in ,the ,lime ,burner and ,the ,garden1 is strictly ,japanese4 ,one of his friends said that ,whistler never objected to any one trying to copy his way of painting1 but looked upon filching of ideas as grand larceny4 ,this proves how ignorant we all are about our conduct of life4 ,if anybody ever plagiarized ideas it was ,whistler4 ,the ,t shape of the ,old ,battersea ,bridge1 in his nocturne of blue and gold1 is almost an exact copy of a ,hiroshige design4 ,the same can be said of the branch of leaves protruding like a silhouette from the margin of his ,ocean1 and the composition of several other nocturnes4 ,but ,whistler added something which no ,japanese print suggests4 ,he added light1 atmosphere1 distance and mystery4 ,illustration3 ,tate ,gallery1 ,london ,,nocturne ,,in ,,blue ,,and ,,gold3 ,,old ,,battersea ,,bridge4 ,hiroshige relied entirely upon design and line1 and he was not a good draughtsman at that1 at least not in his figures4 ,his human figures frequently look like miniature caricatures or curious little insects4 ,his line lacks purity and sweep1 but is more realistic and less conventional than that of his predecessors4 ,his colour is crude in comparison with the older artists4 ,his prints that were executed after the introduction of ,european aniline colours in #ahej1 with their streaks of vivid red and blue1 are almost offensive to the eye4 ,his earlier ones1 when he was content in working in pale colours1 in pale blue and black with just a suggestion of pink1 are vastly superior4 ,later on he tried to learn from the ,europeans1 and strove for atmospheric effects1 but always suggested it rather by design than colour4 ,if he used colour for that purpose it went never beyond a simple wash4 ,whistler sacrificed line almost entirely4 ,he worked in big masses1 shapes and silhouettes and made colour the principal attraction4 ,the simplicity of design he borrowed from the ,japanese1 but the intimate charm of his colour he got from another art1 the art of music4 ,many paintings of the latter half of the nineteenth century show this musical tendency4 ,chavannes1 ,cazin1 our ,american landscape painter ,tryon1 even the ,impressionists1 try to produce with colour something similar to the effect of sound4 ,it is either a resemblance of feeling in execution1 or the desire to deliver us over to a mood like music4 ,generally both desires go hand in hand4 ,the painter1 to accomplish this1 must go back to the emotional elements of things1 to view objects with primitive enthusiasm and to disregard all cumbersome detail4 ,these qualities must dominate his conception1 and his treatment must be slightly decorative4 ,he must see things flat1 in curious shapes1 and then juxtapose and complement his colours in such fashion that they produce instantaneously a pleasant retinal image4 ,in most paintings the subject matter attracts our attention first1 and the appreciation of its technique reaches our emotion through a mental process4 ,a ,chavannes fresco and a ,cazin landscape1 on the other hand1 appeal directly to our emotions4 ,henner1 ,corot1 ,carrire are musical1 ,leighton1 ,dagnan-,bouveret1 ,bcklin are not4 ,chavannes and ,tryon construct their compositions like a composer his score4 ,by applying parallelism of line and repetition of form and colour shapes with slight variation1 they attempt to transpose musical conditions to the sphere of colour4 ,cazin goes further than either4 ,he comes nearest to ,whistler4 ,he actually tries to make the colour sing1 not a composition of diversified interests1 but a simple sweet melody that instantaneously produces a distinct lyrical emotion4 ,in his best pictures he reproduces successfully the perfect harmony of a few fugitive tints1 such as occur so frequently in nature by a combination of the evening sky and a shimmering surface of water1 by a white cottage in moonlight1 or desolate marshes against a starlit sky4 ,in this1 ,whistler excelled4 ,he advanced another step by using the smallest limit of colours possible1 without obliterating form and subject matter4 ,although ,whistler accentuated the breadth of vision1 divided his space arrangement into as few planes as possible1 juxtaposed rarely more than two colours1 and made all objects appear shadowy and weird against a glimmering sky1 it is astonishing how vibrant he kept his colour2 the more so as his colours are laid on rather flatly1 and1 occasionally1 so thinly that the canvas shines through4 ,this1 of course1 helps the vibrating quality1 but the colour tints contain so many subtle variations that they scarcely become discernible to the eye but merely conscious as a vague shimmer1 like that of night and atmosphere themselves4 ,the colour combinations are frequently the same4 ,blue and silver1 and blue and gold appear most frequently4 ,then there is brown with gold or silver1 and a crepuscule in flesh colour and green1 which was also the theme of ,on the ,balcony4 ,his subjects were chosen with great discretion4 ,outside of the ,valparaiso ,harbour picture1 a ,southampton ,water and a ,st4 ,marks1 ,venice1 most were devoted to ,london4 ,there is a ,chelsea embankment in winter1 a ,chelsea in snow and ice1 the ,westminster ,bridge1 the ,trafalgar ,square in snow1 and the old ,battersea reach and bridge in three versions4 ,whistler never stopped work at a picture until it was as perfect as he could make it4 ,many of the pictures that are now on the market1 mere scraps and fragments at ridiculous prices1 he would not have allowed to go out of his studio4 ,he had the conscience of the true artist1 but he never went to the extreme4 ,he knew when to stop1 a quality which is exceedingly rare4 ,he would never have spoiled a canvas as ,maris and ,ryder do4 ,he worked very hard on most of his pictures1 but they do not show it4 ,the difficulties and deliberate slowness of execution are lost in the final result4 ,to say of a picture1 as it is often said in its praise1 that it shows great and earnest labour1 is to say that it is incomplete and unfit for view4 ,he followed this maxim out to the letter4 ,industry was with him a necessity--not a virtue4 ,were you to ask me to define the charm of his nocturnes1 ,i should say1 ,i fancy that it lies in the delicious purity of their expression4 ,the emotions which ,whistler wishes to excite are those of visional pleasure1 of subtle speculation and vague emotional joy4 ,in him inspiration always prevailed over caprice4 ,the picture had first to express the arrangement of colour entrusted to it1 and was scarcely allowed any dash or extravagance of brushwork or form1 unless they would form a part of his original plan and serve as a contrast or dissonance4 ,he never added anything in his repaintings1 but cut out one passage after another2 he did not graft on1 he pruned1 for he meant nothing should remain but the most essential4 ,if there was ever a man tormented by the accursed ambition to put the whole world into one picture1 the whole picture into one tonality1 and the whole tonality into one colour note1 it was ,whistler4 ,it is difficult to understand why his work was ever criticized as being unfinished4 ,when ,burne-,jones1 in a spirit hostile to ,whistler's work1 declared in the witness box at the ,ruskin trial3 ,in my opinion 444 a picture ought not to fall short of what has been for ages considered as complete and finished1 ,whistler retorted effectively3 ,a picture is completely finished when nothing more can be done to improve it4 ,illustration3 ,,nocturne ,,in ,,gray ,,and ,,gold3 ,,chelsea1 ,,snow4 ,and for this finish he tried incessantly4 ,there was never an artist who was more conscientious and more ardently striving for perfection than he4 ,he sometimes tried experiments with different mediums in oil painting4 ,at one time he used benzine to thin the colours1 another time kerosene4 ,he would cover a large canvas all over with the latter1 in order to bring out the dried tints1 before he started to repaint or overpaint4 ,and he said to ,clifford ,adams1 his last apprentice1 ,in the morning we may not succeed in getting the direct relation of colour1 but at noon it may become more harmonious and at sundown we might strike just the right thing4 ,and so he worked1 day after day and year after year1 on his pictures1 until every trace of labour was obliterated and the picture had become a masterpiece4 ,a masterpiece that would appear as a flower to the painter--perfect in its bud as in its bloom--with no reason to explain its presence1 no mission to fulfil2 a joy to the artist1 a delusion to the philanthropist--a puzzle to the botanist--an accident of sentiment to the literary man4 ,this flatly contradicts the general idea rampant among painters that he furnished his paintings au premier coup4 ,his friends endorse the denial4 ,mr4 ,r4 ,a4 ,canfield has seen not less than sixteen changes of background to one portrait1 and heaven knows how many more that were not counted4 ,whenever he was dissatisfied with a painting1 he started a new canvas until he finally realized the task he had attempted4 ,in that sense his colleagues are right1 his pictures look as if they were painted au premier coup but it was a roundabout way4 ,it is impossible to advance any theory about his technique4 ,all his pictures are painted in varying thicknesses of paint1 in varying degrees of liquidity of paint1 in varying smoothness and roughness1 in few or many sittings1 in fact1 in the varying technique which alone can correspond to moods of so great a painter and the circumstances of each picture4 ,the only thing which has any semblance to a constant method is a moderate adherence1 in his portraits at least1 to the old way of painting from dark to light which1 in the final painting1 in overlapping pieces of paint1 as in the case of most oil paintings until recently1 results in the thickening of the paint towards the light4 ,there are scarcely more than sixteen finished nocturnes on record4 ,of these1 most are masterpieces1 or would pass as belonging to the best of his works4 ,and as he worked at them ever since he returned from ,valparaiso in #ahff and held the first important exhibition of nocturnes at the ,dowdswell ,gallery1 and in ,paris 7in the ,rue ,sze7 not previous to #ahhc1 when quite a number were still unfinished1 we are astonished at the small output4 ,but masterpieces are scarce4 ,and if a painter can be credited with two or three every year he is a hero in his profession4 ,the importance of the nocturne in ,whistler's own career1 everybody must realize who is familiar with his work4 ,they add to his personality a delicious flavour that even his lithographs and large paintings do not grant in the same manner4 ,it was to him an instrument that obeyed his slightest wishes4 ,it was art1 at once aristocratic1 delicate1 of high finish and moreover imbued with an individual rhythm and the poetry of nature4 ,illustration3 ,,nocturne ,,in ,,blue ,,and ,,silver4 ,what wonderful rain and snow this man has painted6 ,what vast expanses of water as mystic as the night6 ,and those vagrant mists1 that envelop everything and blot out the very existence of things6 ,there has not been anything in art since ,turner that could be compared with it4 ,there are no banal sunsets1 no glaring moonlights1 only the more intricate moods of nature1 snowfall1 mist1 late evening and night4 ,also in the choice of his subject he added a new note4 ,the art of a landscape painter is determined by a thousand influences upon his mind other than those of nature4 ,the essence of ,monet's art is one of an hour1 but with such a painter as ,daubigny or ,rousseau it is one of a place4 ,there is the sense of the atmosphere of the moment given by one school of landscape painters1 of locality by another1 poetry by a third and of the historic associations of a place by yet another school4 ,these things are1 of course1 determined by temperament1 and schools of painting may be classified in this way more adequately than they are4 ,human association creeps into landscapes in various degrees1 and also in other ways than the historical way which we feel1--as in ,f4 ,e4 ,church's pictures1 for instance1--but landscape1 generally subordinate to the human interest1 now sometimes tries to free itself from this influence entirely4 ,it has become like poetry1 simply the record of an emotion or mood remembered in colour4 ,this is ,whistler's peculiar innovation4 ,and yet the final significance of the nocturne in the world of art is still an open question4 ,time alone can decide its value4 ,the rest is mere hypothesis4 ,many--and ,i only talk of people who understand--argue that despite its perfection1 the nocturne represents a minor phase of art4 ,of course1 a nocturne1 no matter how beautiful1 cannot compete in importance with the ,portrait of ,carlyle1 or ,the ,artist's ,mother4 ,size does not mean much1 but it means something4 ,a small painting can be as exquisite in workmanship as a large one1 but it can never rise to the same dignity of expression4 ,a frescoe by ,chavannes would lose much if executed in the size of the average easel picture4 ,but the nocturne stands for something in modern art which lends it special importance1 aside of all workmanship and beauty of pictorial treatment4 ,it represents a return to the art of painting for painting's sake4 ,every art1 may it be music1 poetry1 dancing1 sculpture or painting1 has its own peculiar technique1 which the technically ignorant person cannot appreciate4 ,poetry which has no formal conventions is inconceivable4 ,and1 in a similar manner1 painting has the charm of texture and brushwork1 the charm of how the paint is actually put on and displayed on the canvas4 ,the sthetic satisfaction derived from an art is in exact proportion to one's knowledge of the art's technique4 ,this largely explains the general public's indifference to art4 ,and the everlasting fight between the artist and the public has been on these lines4 ,the plea of the modern experimentist that all poetry of painting should be in the paint1 which also ,whistler advanced1 is a just one if not carried to extremes4 ,absolute paucity of idea is as unfavourable as story-telling4 ,the intrinsic beauty of a painting lies in the method of painting1 and the only guide for the painter is colour and the general arrangement--not a method learned by rote1 not an arrangement garroted by a thousand rules which others have invented1 but that personal style or rhythm which is inveterately the painter's own4 ,so ,whistler's style is beautiful because it is personal4 ,his revolt was against story-telling1 against the genre pictures1 which adulterated painting with the skill of the novel writer4 ,it is for future sthetics to decide whether the introduction of musical ideals is not just as dangerous as the intermixture of any other art4 ,there is no doubt1 however1 that the new combination grants a higher pleasure to the connoisseur at present4 ,music is the most fashionable and1 perhaps1 most widely understood art to-day4 ,this be as it may1 ,whistler did a great service to modern art4 ,by realizing its limitations he bestowed upon it a new vitality and glow4 ,his art1 far from being lawless1 is the expression of a new law4 ,make any kind of pictures you like1 dear painters1 provided they are beautiful4 ,for each age there is a different beauty4 ,old forms and old perfections wither4 ,there has been too much story-telling4 ,the ,david school1 with its pompous historical1 allegorical and mythological representations1 has become intolerable to us4 ,david1 ,vernet1 etc41 up to ,ingres and ,delaroche all seem lifeless4 ,also the ,romanticists1 who were the interpreters of poets1 appear highstrung to more recent art ideas4 ,the reaction was inevitable4 ,the ,impressionists--and their merit lies principally in that their work represents a technical reaction--went too far1 inasmuch as it allows scarcely any scope to intellectual expansion4 ,it is based on immediate vision1 and occupies itself only with the consideration of light and colour1 and keen observation of modern life4 ,all the great painters met the public half way4 ,the great painters1 we need only to recall ,rembrandt1 ,velasquez or ,leonardo1 were painters as much as they were poets1 but each in equal measure4 ,the qualities balanced each other1 and they did not1 like the modern painters1 sacrifice one for the other4 ,whistler has to be classified as an ,impressionist1 but he remained true to the old tradition4 ,he was as much a reactionist against classic and romantic painting as any of them2 but he had no use for the new technique4 ,like ,monet1 he went back to ,velasquez and ,goya1 ,franz ,hals1 ,van ,dyke and all the ,old ,masters who could paint4 ,like ,courbet1 he reduced a scene to three or four broad tones1 but he was more exact in the grade of tones1 and invariably endeavoured to explain the sentiment inspired by them4 ,his work was never anti intellectual4 ,on the contrary he was a true visionary4 ,he protested against literary elements1 but emphasized the psychological and symbolical qualities of painting4 ,nobody was further remote from gross superficial realism4 ,like ,flaubert and the ,goncourts1 he proved that realism can go hand in hand with refined form and delicate psychology4 ,he was sane throughout4 ,and that is why the sthetic revolution1 produced by him1 is not yet at an end4 ,the first principle for the painter is to acquire a personal mode of feeling and thinking1 and the second that he should find an adequate and personal method of expressing himself4 ,the painter must choose his method4 ,if he has only the old themes to paint the old forms will suit him well enough--portraits and single figures1 landscapes and marines1 cattle pictures and still life--but if he has anything special to say1 he must find for himself a special and unique form of expression4 ,the only criterion is beauty4 ,,chapter ,v ,,on ,,light ,,and ,,tone ,,problems ,in his ,art in the ,netherlands1 and his various books on ,italian art1 ,h4 ,taine has maintained that the hand of the medival painter was largely guided by optical sensations4 ,and1 following this rather suggestive1 than conclusive1 trend of argument1 we will readily perceive that the peculiar lighting conditions of those days1 the semi-darkness of the interiors1 the play of sunlight dying in the obscurity of shadows1 and the absence of strong artificial lights have done much to disclose to the genius of a ,titian and a ,rembrandt the manifold harmonies of chiaroscura1 of colouring1 modelling and emotion4 ,the tallow candle1 the oil lamp1 the torch and the open fire-place were the only artificial light appliances known to the ,middle ,ages1 and they were all only like solitary rays of light in universal darkness4 ,illumine a room by night1 by placing a candle on the table or on the floor1 and judge for yourself4 ,the effects obtained1 no doubt1 would appear to you as weird and picturesque4 ,the flickering light is uncertain1 the shadows are intensely dark and pronounced1 almost crude and vacillating1 as if engaged in a continual combat with light4 ,the contrasts are startling1 yet not discordant1 the vague train of light mingled with shadows accentuate only a few places with vivid spots1 perchance the polished surface of a piece of furniture1 a glass or pewter mug on the table1 the collaret or jewelled belt of some fair lady4 ,the eye is led to noticing gradations of obscurity1 the darkness grows animated with colour and form1 and we see the objects as through a glaze of ,van ,dyke brown4 ,no wonder that the painter of the ,middle ,ages1 having become sensible to the beauty of transparent darkness and the brilliant passages of light1 dared to unite extremes and to show every form and colour in its full strength4 ,the vagueness of chiaroscural effects was the great modifier which enveloped all adjacent objects in clair obscure and tempered them with a warm and mellow radiance4 ,how different are the conditions in our time4 ,there are no more ,schalcken or ,rembrandt effects4 ,we have succeeded in banishing darkness from our homes4 ,we have become very sanitary1 we want light and air1 the walls of houses are built less substantial1 and through the increased largeness and transparency of panes1 the daylight streams in with dazzling vehemence4 ,it penetrates into the remotest nooks and corners4 ,even at dawn the shadows are only vaguely dark1 of an uncertain and mixed bluish grey4 ,lenbach1 the portrait painter1 realized this deficiency1 and found it necessary to construct a special studio1 where the light was only sparingly admitted through deep casements1 and where the sitters for his old-master-like interpretations of modern characters were placed far away from the windows4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy of the ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york ,,lady ,,in ,,gray4 ,the greatest havoc among chiaroscural effects1 however1 has been played by modern light appliances4 ,gas and electric light1 with their various modifiers and intensifiers1 have killed all the old ideals4 ,there are no longer any striking chiaroscural contrasts or strong accentuations4 ,in the ,middle ,ages dress and drapery showed depth of folds and recesses which are absolutely unknown to-day4 ,now1 everything is diffused with light4 ,nothing is steady and fixed1 and yet objects stand out in painful relief4 ,the modelling has lost much of its tonal variety1 and all objects vaguely reflect the imprint of all-pervading light4 ,the values of colour appear bleached and vary incessantly4 ,our eyes are perpetually moving in a restless manner from one part to another1 and no longer find any place to rest in the depth of shadows4 ,luckily for us1 we have been rendered unconscious of these dangers1 we have grown accustomed to them1 but their influence on modern painting has been a most palpable one4 ,chiaroscural composition underwent a complete transformation4 ,saliency of object induced the modern painter for a time1 at the beginning of the last century1 to strive solely for fixed and precise conceptions of form and to utterly neglect the beauty of light and shade4 ,when he discovered his error1 he went to the other extreme1 and not merely softened contours1 but blotted them out completely4 ,at a loss how to meet this difficulty he lost himself in an intenser and more varied study of illumination1 with the aim to reach a higher pitch of light4 ,lamplight and firelight effects and the contrasts of commingling light rays from two1 or even three1 sources became the order of the day4 ,sargent studied the effect of ,japanese lanterns on white dresses in twilight4 ,harrison tried to fix the play of sunlight on the naked human body4 ,dannat experimented with flesh tones and electrical arclight and magnesium flashlight illumination4 ,zorn endeavoured to solve in his ,omnibus picture the conflict of various lights in a glass-encased interior4 ,degas and ,besnard became enchanted with illumination from below1 in the cross lights and the lurid unnatural lights of the stage1 and his disciples introduced the effects of footlights into interiors by placing the lamp on the floor4 ,all these studies address themselves most powerfully to the modern mind1 as they depict contemporary conditions4 ,the eye may be offended or even repelled by unnecessary trivialities at times1 but the underlying aspiration is1 after all1 the truth4 ,from an sthetic view-point it is less satisfactory1 as this modern substitute of light and shade composition1 consisting of an opposition of colours1 rather than of masses1 does not afford1 in the speech of ,herbert ,spencer1 the maximum of stimulation with the minimum of fatigue4 ,it contains a discord1 a lack of normal gratification1 and this shortcoming1 in conjunction with the deterioration of the crafts1 which were replaced by factory labour1 and the hopelessly prosaic aspect of modern dress1 as far as colour is concerned1 directed the painter into other fields of investigation4 ,he realized that nature had remained unchanged1 that the colour-symphony of sea and landscapes1 of dawn and sunset1 were as beautiful as ever1 and he went out of doors for inspiration4 ,and then1 to his great astonishment1 he discovered that the optical sensations afforded by nature were very similar to those he had experienced in his home life1 also how everything was diffused with light1 and forms rendered uncertain by the vibration of light4 ,the famous colour harmony of ,italian painters1 red1 green and violet1 which aroused action successively in the whole field of vision without exhausting it1 seemed meaningless4 ,strange1 apparently discordant combinations of green and blue and yellow1 orange and red1 which stimulate only certain portions of the retina at the expense of others1 obtruded themselves upon his optical consciousness4 ,it became apparent that light does not emphasize1 but that it generalizes1 and that colours and tones1 although more varied1 are less decisive than in the painting of the ,old ,masters4 ,the charm of pictorial illusion seemed to have shifted from the juxtaposition of contrast to the more subtle and less powerful variety of half tones4 ,it is not so much the richness and fullness of colour the modern painter strives for1 as ,raffaelli has pointed out1 but the combination of colours which yield a sensation of light1 which1 in a way1 is a reflection of our temporary light conditions4 ,that the ,impressionists banished black from their palette is significant itself4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,john ,h4 ,whittemore ,l',,andalusienne4 ,ever since the semi-darkness of the ,middle ,ages was dispelled1 the minds of painters had been occupied with the invention of a new method of painting4 ,chardin and ,watteau1 who crosshatched and stippled pure colours in their pastels and water colours1 were really the forerunners of impressionism4 ,delacroix was the first master-painter who scientifically concerned himself with light and colour notation1 as ,turner 7viz4 ,ruskin7 introduced the emphasis of the colour of shadows at the expense of their tones4 ,but not before science came to the assistance of the painter1 was he able to perfect his system of open air mosaics1 of producing tone by the parallel and distinct projection of pure colours4 ,and it is ,chevreul1 ,young1 ,helmholtz and ,ogden ,rood1 who1 after analyzing colour sensations from a physiological viewpoint and tracing them to their causes1 supplied the genius of ,manet1 ,monet and ,degas with a new pictorial revelation of light and colour4 ,the modern style of painting is a direct outcome of the environment in which we live4 ,with the decline of candlelight parties the new era was ushered in1 and the kerosene lamp was the last harmonizer of light and darkness4 ,as it went slowly out of fashion1 the reign of half and quarter tones1 or1 in other words1 a new reign of light1 of light transposed into tone1 set in4 ,it set in1 however1 at the expense of everything else4 ,it is largely technical1 and the representations are photographic1 prosaic1 crude and often without the slightest suggestion of sentiment1 not even that which an ordinary scene out of doors produces in an imaginative mind4 ,this1 more than any other course1 estranges art from the approval of the general public4 ,the subject of an ,old ,master1 although mostly of a religious order and legible to the ordinary mind1 at times may have soared beyond the ordinary faculties of comprehension1 but the object represented invariably appealed to the sense of sight1 as it was painted in such a way as to create an illusion4 ,the ,old ,masters succeeded in suggesting on a flat surface the roundness and actual colouring of things4 ,the modern painter depicts objects in which the beauty is not always palpable to the layman1 and in a manner which is less convincing1 as he suggests form rather than actually representing it1 and adheres most stubbornly to individual colour interpretation4 ,it needs connoisseurship and technical knowledge to understand and appreciate the paintings of to-day4 ,the paintings of a ,degas1 ,besnard or ,renoir remain a myth even to the people who are fond of art4 ,comparatively few persons are versed in the thought-transference from colour to sentiment4 ,whistler did not believe in the constant mechanical mixture of seven solar tones1 which make the eye perform the work which should be done by the painter4 ,he tried hard for the dissociation of tones by endeavouring to translate the flat tints of the ,japanese into oil paintings executed in ,western fashion1 but was not satisfied with the result4 ,living in ,london1 with a view on the ,thames1 he realized that the aspects of modern life have turned grey4 ,they have nothing to do with ,oriental embroideries4 ,our large cities with their smoke and manifold exhalations 7not to speak of communities subjected to the use of soft coal7 have acquired a dust-laden1 misty atmosphere4 ,this peculiarity of city atmosphere1 however1 to be noticed in ,london and ,paris as much as in ,chicago and ,pittsburg1 is a wonderful subduer and eliminator of detail1 and should prove a valuable ally in conquering new suggestions of light effects4 ,this ,whistler realized1 and he used it to express what the inner life of things in modern art needed most to express1 the poetry of paint expressed in tone and light4 ,the study of light per se as ,leon ,dabo says1 had become a creed with ,monet1 ,manet and their followers4 ,somehow ,whistler's contribution to this naissance--for it was a real birth1 first successfully carried out by ,constable--has been entirely neglected for the more obvious quality of full sunlight produced by the so-called ,impressionists4 ,whistler's paintings prove conclusively that where there is harmony of colour there is vibration of atmosphere1 and1 therefore1 the illusion of light4 ,when we stand before the ,mona ,lisa of ,leonardo da ,vinci and before his less famous1 but almost equally fascinating woman of the ,liechtenstein ,gallery1 we do not marvel merely at the lifelike representation1 which seems to actually vibrate2 but at something evasive and unfathomable that we find difficult to express in words4 ,we experience something similar when we contemplate ,whistler's ,mother or some portraits of modern masters like ,blanche1 ,lavery1 enigmatic ,khnopff1 or the grey men and women of ,carriere1 who rise so softly and mistily out of the background4 ,although they have not attained the mastership of the former in the representation of the living1 breathing people1 there is the same mysterious mood in their paintings4 ,they seem to quiver with something that is essentially modern1 and cannot emanate alone from the charm of momentary expression which is one of their main attractions4 ,the modern figures have a less corporeal effect than those of the ,renaissance2 they resemble apparitions which have suddenly taken shape in the greyness of life only to dissolve again into shadows4 ,this is more than a technical change1 it is a new way of thinking4 ,we concede a new attribute to these painters and call their achievements the psychological style of painting4 ,robert ,henri's ,young ,woman in ,black is an interesting attempt in this direction4 ,by this we wish to convey that the figures tell us something of the inner life1 and that the way in which this is accomplished impresses us like a commentary on their souls4 ,of course this is nothing new4 ,all the masterpieces of portraiture1 no matter how different technically they may be1 whether clear and sharp or soft and diffused1 whether by a ,raphael or a ,rembrandt1 ,titian or ,franz ,hals1 have the faculty to make us dream and invent some psychical annotation to the figures represented1 but modern life is more analytical4 ,we rejoice in dissecting our thoughts1 sentiments and moods1 and some of our foremost contemporaries1 though they may wield their brushes as dexterously as the ,old ,masters1 concentrate upon the endeavour to reflect specifically the spiritual qualities and to accentuate its functions as far as it is possible in paint4 ,the modern painter is fond of specializing1 not only in subject1 but technically1 because he lacks the overflowing energy and strength to conquer all the elements of his profession in one effort4 ,this age1 at least in the upper intellectual strata1 has become very skeptical4 ,we are not concerned so much about divinities and our future state as about ourselves in the present4 ,religion no longer furnishes the emotional staff on which we may lean on our pilgrimage of life1 and yet we need some spiritual support1 some science for the soul1 and we may look about for something that may mystify us and lift us above the prose of every-day existence4 ,and this search is mirrored in the endeavour of these men who would like to paint enigmatic figures1 like ,mona ,lisa and the woman of the ,liechtenstein ,gallery4 ,conditions change1 but not so much that they become entirely extinct4 ,the possibilities for emotional art are to-day as great as ever4 ,for portraiture1 single figure representation and character delineation gentle effects capable of subtler gradations are more desirable4 ,they may be found in many out-of-the-way places4 ,a modern ,ribera may find endless suggestions for new light and shade combinations in an ordinary cellar1 and the picturesque tavern atmosphere of a ,caravaggio or ,terborg can surely be substituted in some obscure nooks and corners of our towns4 ,our living-rooms show a wealth of still life that1 by the play of light1 could be turned into beautiful accessories4 ,there is nothing more gratifying to the eye than a bright1 haphazard shimmer on some objects while the remainder is lost in a vague1 picturesque haze4 ,the student of light and shade will find the range of light is still a very wide one4 ,the vivid glow of firelight1 here flickering brightly1 there vanishing in gloom1 will always produce a striking effect4 ,a pale splendour caressing the human form with vague reflections could be obtained by light streaming through stained-glass windows4 ,the dazzling illumination of the hour of sunset1 which pales and subdues all objects1 and1 concentrated on the human body1 makes it look as if it had been absorbed all in light and radiated it 7which ,prudhon has attempted and ,henner specialized71 may fill our minds with new dreams of vision4 ,even the ghostlike rays of shimmering moonlight 7as ,steichen has shown in his versions of ,rodin's ,balzac7 may open novel methods to render tone and form in the broadest and softest manner possible4 ,still ,i do not believe in the garish effects of certain modern painters1 who take special delight in reproducing the flaring vagaries of artificial light4 ,the trend of such works is towards an affected stheticism4 ,they may be fascinating and stunningly clever but they do not ring true4 ,they are at their best only in colour experiments specially made to startle the beholder4 ,when ,elsheimer painted his ,christ ,taken ,prisoner1 showing the pale light of the moon in the background1 while the nocturnal figures in the foreground are enveloped by the glare of torches1 he ventured upon a problem that was1 after all1 logical and true to life4 ,but to place a lamp on the floor merely for the purpose of throwing interesting diagonal shadows upwards on a woman's figure1 is not far from being an absurdity4 ,the various aspects of electrical illumination1 gaslight1 flashlight effects1 searchlight1 etc41 no doubt can be solved pictorially1 but they should never be applied unless the character of the picture absolutely demands them4 ,tone is the ideal of the modern painter4 ,it is his highest ambition4 ,it is the powerful subduer of all the incongruities of modern art4 ,but what painters strive for1 in most instances are merely fragmentary accomplishments4 ,it is not tone in the large sense as the ,old ,masters understood it4 ,to ,titian and ,rembrandt and ,velasquez tone meant a combination of all pictorial qualities1 the contrast of colour1 the balance of lighter and darker planes1 the linear arrangement2 all these together produced tone4 ,they do not sacrifice form or detail1 correct drawing1 the physiognomy of the faces and the idea and conception of the picture to it4 ,do not misunderstand me4 ,tone is desirable2 no picture should be without it4 ,but it is merely one of the elements that enter into the making of a picture1 and not the whole thing4 ,there are light tonalities as well as dark tonalities4 ,a ,renoir is as much in tone as a black-in-black ,tissot4 ,what tonal painters see in tone is merely the appearance of old age4 ,the ,old ,masters have become famous1 and the public has acquired a certain predilection for dark-toned pictures4 ,the modern painters try to reproduce it1 overlooking 7perhaps wilfully7 that the dark tonality is entirely an artificial product1 caused by dirt and dampness1 the chemical action of light1 and the gradual change of colour1 oil and varnish4 ,the ,old ,masters painted in a low key1 but they probably never thought that some day their pictures would look as they do now4 ,the modern painters try to produce a quality that has nothing to do with art1 they cater to the taste of certain art patrons that have a liking for old-looking things4 ,in portraiture the simplest scheme will always be most certain of success4 ,variety is desirable1 but no exaggeration or strained effects4 ,of all modern painters ,whistler and ,carrire seem to have excelled in conquering the modern limitations of light and shade composition and making the most of them4 ,they have enveloped their figures in clair-obscure that is uncertain in form1 mystic in tendency1 but suggestive of atmosphere1 depth and space1 some grey or dark interior filled with struggling shadows1 capricious gleams of light and tonal gradations1 tantalizing in their subtlety and power of suggestion4 ,all sharp lines are dissolved1 each detail vanishes with soft delicacy into the other and their light1 falling from some unknown source1 quivers like a soft chord through the twilight4 ,the ,mother and ,child of ,carrire has but little of the robust yet sweet and seductive charm of the ,madonna pictures4 ,its glimmer of light is sad and dreamy1 as if it were woven out of grey monotonies of everyday life4 ,and in ,whistler's ,sarasate we see in the plastic1 but solitary light passage1 on face and shirt front a symbol of all the glamour of romance and poetry that light can yield in our prosaic age4 ,whistler translated all objects into flat surface planes1 and1 in that way1 sacrificed more to the realization of tone than any other painter4 ,his fragmentary visions are almost colourless but never give the impression of monochrome4 ,looking at one of his enigmatic figures receding into vague shadows1 a strange association of thought occurs to me3 ,i see in one of the sunless courtyards of the ,escurial the dark figure of a woman standing near a fountain and holding a red rose in her hand4 ,at one of the palace windows is seen the proud face of ,velasquez1 gazing absent-mindedly upon the scene4 ,and the wind ruffles the flower1 carries one petal after another and scatters them upon the surface of the water4 ,is this dark silent woman the personification of ,whistler's muse1 and does she tell us that the splendour of light and shade composition of the ,old ,masters has faded1 that we know nothing of its fervour that rose from the depths of a more picturesque age1 and that all we can do is to scatter a few colour notes across the darkness of space8 ,for the jubilant and passionate note is altogether missing in ,whistler's art1 though it can claim profundity and some dreaminess4 ,illustration3 ,carnegie ,art ,institute1 ,pittsburg ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black3 ,,senor ,,pablo ,,sarasate4 ,light now flits phantom-like across the masterpieces of pictorial delineation1 but it is still the great elixir of art1 that will give life to any scene and animate any object4 ,no special method can be indicated4 ,every worker must be his own pioneer and pathfinder4 ,the new era of light is yet in a primitive stage4 ,it is a lonely art whose language is understood but by the few1 though we have approached the hour of dawn before the awakening4 ,life may seem dreary and colourless to us1 yet we should realize that only one beam of light is needed to change it into a vision of beauty4 ,to ,rembrandt even the ,bree-straat in ,amsterdam1 resplendent in his time of ,oriental culture and ,moorish pomp1 may have seemed dull and colourless4 ,he had to create for himself a distant and enchanted realm from out the prosaic world in which he lived4 ,and so must every ambitious artist dream himself far away from the grey of everyday life and construct a poetic world for himself alone4 ,light is1 after all1 objective and merely suggestive4 ,the artist's mind must serve as some ,faustean retort1 which will turn these suggestions into the soft gleams and sparkling shimmers of art4 ,whistler was one of the few to accomplish the task4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,symphonies ,,in ,,interior ,,decoration ,william ,morris demanded that our entire environment should be beautiful4 ,only in moments of superior enjoyment do we realize the significance of human life1 and by a poem1 picture or sonata we construct the symbols that bring us closest to this appreciation4 ,why then not construct a candlestick1 a chair1 the surface of a wall1 in such a way that they might be taken for symbols1 to remind us of the existence of our soul8 ,the candlestick shall no longer be a mere stand and holder for a candle but a souvenir of reminiscences4 ,that is the philosophical idea that underlies all interior decoration and furnishing4 ,as ,sheridan ,ford so aptly expressed it in an article in ,st4 ,stephen's ,review in #ahhi3 ,there are in ,england two new1 and in their origin1 distinct methods of interior decoration4 ,gradually they have coalesced to a degree1 although they will always retain their individual traits and differences4 ,these two methods may be termed the ,whistlerian1 and the ,english or pre-,raphaelite2 the one1 spontaneous1 fresh--simple1 the other1 a revival--complex--reformatory4 ,through many years1 from the early days of the pre-,raphaelites down to the last meeting of the ,painter-socialists1 an outside influence--a personality--has been making itself felt in ,london in strange and subtle ways4 ,the ,morris arts and crafts movement believes in patterned design and the dominant force of the material4 ,every material speaks its own language1 and we must understand1 before we can lend expression to it4 ,when the actual moment of designing arrives1 the artist-artisan should work with a piece of the material itself before his eyes--wood1 stone1 iron or plain silk1 linen or wool stuff1 according to circumstances4 ,this memory of nature's forms1 dominated by the momentary impression of the material1 with its requirements1 capabilities and limitations1 would lead him to a more congenial and workmanlike result than all the contents of a natural history museum1 botanical garden or library4 ,in the same way as we can give to words a dramatic1 epic or lyrical significance1 so has wood1 leather and glass their own sphere of expression4 ,harmony in every detail is the ultimate result4 ,a room is no museum1 every object must be related to the other1 the candlestick must make a rhyme with the wall-paper1 with the woodwork1 the hangings1 the table and chairs4 ,whistler1 on the other hand1 was the apostle of ,japanese simplicity1 of suggestion rather than realization4 ,he tried to express his own sthetic creed1 and that consisted of restful expanses of unbroken wall1 of decorative devices and ornamental motifs1 individual caprices accentuated by black1 and1 finally1 by colour4 ,colour in interior decoration meant to him the same thing as tone in painting4 ,it reigned supreme4 ,our feeling of beauty varies2 it may find its expression in a certain flower1 a certain hour of the day or season1 in a certain poem or song or1 as it was the case with ,whistler1 in a certain delicate colour tint1 that would make a room look gay and cheerful4 ,he tried to bring the sun into the house1 even in a land of fog and cloud4 ,pale pink1 brown1 pale turquoise1 primrose1 saffron1 sulphure and lemon-yellow were his favourite colours4 ,these he endeavoured to express4 ,it was the gesture of his soul translated into every object and material4 ,a colour is like a special metric form1 and all lines1 and every combination of tint--the sofa1 the lamp1 wall-paper--take the place of stanzas in a finished poem4 ,in such a house we would see mirrors everywhere reflecting our own personality4 ,such were ,whistler's creations4 ,they reflected his own face1 and echoed his own song4 ,whistler arrived at these conclusions early in his life4 ,during his ,stevens-,japanese print period he interested himself a good deal with decorative schemes4 ,he had painted ,the ,princess of the ,porcelain ,land1 which was purely decorative1 and1 in a way1 served as inspiration for the ,peacock ,room1 as the design for the latter was really invented to find a proper environment for the painting4 ,in a diary of ,william ,michael ,rossetti1 the ever busy biographers have found a note referring to six schemes or projects of practically the same size4 ,it reads3 ,whistler is doing on a large scale1 for ,leyland1 the subject of women with flowers4 ,they were never executed1 although some of the sketches are still in existence4 ,he abandoned decorative schemes entirely in later years1 but became more and more engrossed in the problems of interior decoration4 ,in later years he intended to paint a grand decoration with full orchestration that he would call ,the ,symphony of ,colours--,full ,palette4 ,this would have been indeed interesting1 but ,i fear he went too deep into blacks to have accomplished it4 ,in most instances he abstained from mural decoration1--the panels over the chimney-place1 and the shutter and ceiling decoration of the ,peacock ,room for the ,leyland home at ,prince's ,gate1 ,london1 were his only supreme effort in that direction4 ,they show the right idea about decorative painting4 ,he agreed with all decorative painters from ,gozzoli to ,bob ,chanler1 that it should be an arrangement of colours which1 within its frame1 affords a pleasant visual entertainment4 ,there is no intention to give food for thought4 ,the peacocks in blue on gold and gold on blue relate as little as does an ,oriental carpet4 ,he merely wished to please the eye by depicting them more beautifully than they were in nature4 ,but why did he select peacocks8 ,do they not convey an idea8 ,figures usually are story-telling symbols1 but not necessarily so2 with him they were vehicles of colour1 to invent a pattern for their luminosity4 ,peacock designs occur frequently in ,japanese art4 ,no doubt1 ,whistler studied them4 ,there is a certain resemblance1 but he individualized them in his own way4 ,the sharply silhouetted forms of the birds are a happy invention of luminous colour and interesting design4 ,the ,japanese would have made a more lavish use of gold1 that is they would have left larger spaces untouched by any additional colour4 ,blank spaces of gold 7or any colour7 act in such instances like the musical silence of a pause between music1 they represent the birth of beauty from luxury4 ,but the ,leyland room was overcrowded1 with its elaborate ceiling1 bulky chandelier and collection of blue and white porcelain on walnut shelves1 broken by an endless repetition of perpendicular lines4 ,he could not change the architecture of the place1 so he went to work and decorated the few spaces that were available4 ,to decorate the inside shutters with a peacock design was a unique performance1 and to cover the moulding of the chandelier and the entire ceiling with conventionalized peacock feathers1 utilizing the eyes of the feathers as accents1 was even more marvellous4 ,in the elegance of its scheme1 and its individual perfection1 splendour and restfulness it has no equal4 ,illustration3 ,,shutter ,,decoration1 ,,peacock ,,room4 ,when ,whistler moved into houses of his own1 he had1 like all ambitious house-owners1 the desire to create a comfortable and beautiful home4 ,none of his houses were ever completely decorated and finished2 they had a look1 as ,pennell tells us1 as if he had just moved in1 or was just moving out2 often there were packing cases and trunks about1 but as much as was finished was always beautiful4 ,the ,house ,beautiful or ,white ,house1 was a three-storied house with many windows of various sizes1 a green slate roof1 bluish-grey door1 ,portland stone facings and fantastic wood ornamentation4 ,a queer looking house1 was the verdict of the neighbours1 and yet it was rather unassuming1 so that it escaped the attention of the ordinary passer-by4 ,while various schemes for each room were in his mind1 a friend1 ,mr4 ,sutherland1 director of the ,p4 ,o4 ,company1 called one evening in the spring of #ahgc to ask ,whistler if he would help him in the decoration of his home4 ,whistler entered upon the idea with enthusiasm and prepared the plans4 ,the novelty of the schemes was first approved of1 but1 as they developed1 ,mr4 ,sutherland began to doubt their plausibility4 ,whistler relieved him from all obligations1 and determined that he would use the ideas in his own home4 ,he went at once to work and three weeks later gave a dinner to celebrate the event4 ,it was a revelation of simple delicate colour schemes--everything was artistic from the mahogany woodwork in the gold and yellow room down to the single flower in some bit of ,kaga porcelain4 ,in the room everything was yellow1 gold or brown4 ,the walls were tinted yellow1 the cabinet and chimney-piece in one structure were of a bright yellow mahogany1 with gilt panels4 ,the tiles before it were of a pale sulphur colour4 ,in some niches there was a display of orange coloured vases4 ,the peacock designs were seen in some panels1 but they were carried out in yellow and gold4 ,the chairs were covered with yellow velvet1 the table had brass legs and rested on a brown rug4 ,one may say that ,whistler established three simple rules for decoration1 which interpreted in words1 might read like this3 ,first3 ,that a house should be a dainty and complete thing--from the door-knocker to the ridge tile4 ,second3 ,that each room should be restful1 with ceiling1 walls and floors so treated as to give a sense of shelter1 freedom and completeness1 terminating in the floor at the base4 ,third3 that pure1 tender colours scientifically used give ease and infinite suggestion1 and should be allowed to play about a room without coming into boisterous contact with another4 ,harper ,pennington1 a friend of ,whistler's1 has given a humourous but sympathetic description of the ,white ,house3 ,his furniture was limited to the barest necessities1 and1 frequently1 too few of those4 ,indeed1 some wit made what he called his standing joke about poor ,jimmy's dearth of seats4 ,once ,dick 7,corney7 ,grain said1 when shaking hands before a ,sunday luncheon1 ,ah6 ,jimmy1 glad to see you playing before such a full house6 glaring around the studio with his large protruding eyes in search of something to sit on4 ,what do you mean8 said ,whistler4 ,standing room only1 replied the actor4 ,the studio could boast of only four or five small cane-seated chairs 7always requisitioned for the dining room on ,sundays71 and the most uncomfortable bamboo sofa ever made4 ,nobody1 except some luckless model1 sat upon it twice4 ,never a book or any instrument of music in his room1 nothing that would not constantly be in use1 nothing superfluous2 all his cares were centred on the wall and woodwork1 painted in graduated monochromes1 of which he held the secret4 ,the strangest thing about these rooms of his was1 that they always looked complete4 ,there was no space1 apparently1 for more than he put in them4 ,so great was the art in his arrangements of colour and a few pieces of ordinary furniture--a spindle-legged table and three or four small painted chairs--that it seemed impossible to add so much as a book without disturbing the harmonious whole4 ,curtains1 a little mirror1 one1 two1 three at the most1 perfectly placed pictures1 a vase1 perhaps a pair of them1 upon the mantel1 and matting on the floor1 were literally all that any room ,i ever knew him to occupy appeared able to contain4 ,there was a sense of finish and finality about it which a piano and stuffed furniture would have disturbed4 ,in the vases1 as in two square hanging pots upon the wall of the dining-room1 there were always a few yellow flowers1 and in a huge old china bowl1 that formed the centrepiece of the dining-room table1 swam some tiny gold fish--the whole thing was carefully composed so as to make the symphony complete at those historic ,sunday breakfasts4 ,his various abodes became a topic of conversation1 and a place of pilgrimage1 and made ,whistler1 for a while at least1 a recognized leader in decoration4 ,he developed a style1 the influence of which has been felt all over ,europe4 ,the beauty of one colour in the decoration of a room1 the division of space into simple lines and masses1 the scarcity of furniture1 leaving large empty spaces1 the use of flowers or a few choice pieces of bric-a-brac1 we owe largely to ,whistler4 ,the backgrounds of his ,miss ,alexander1 ,carlyle and ,the ,artist's ,mother offer vague glimpses into the realm of individualized decoration1 and1 in a way1 better information about its character than a hundred pages of explanation4 ,illustration3 ,,arrangement ,,in ,,gray ,,and ,,green3 ,,miss ,,alexander4 ,among the houses that were decorated under ,whistler's supervision are the ,aubrey house1 ,kensington2 ,carlyle cottage1 ,chelsea2 the home of ,mr4 ,d',oyly ,carte1 on the banks of the ,thames1 the music room of ,sarasate in ,paris1 for whom it is said1 he also designed the furniture1 and the ,pink ,palace1 where he lived with his favourite model ,maud1 in #ahhe4 ,occasionally he may have designed the furniture as a particular favour to a friend1 but it was not his habit4 ,all he did was to give advice or to make the selection4 ,now and then he may have made a hasty sketch to make his idea clear to others1 but it is not known that he ever made a regular design that could have been used by a skilful cabinet-maker to work from4 ,he merely suggested1 and1 if conditions allowed1 to establish beauty of proportions4 ,beauty of design should exist1 no matter whether it be in the vault of the ,sistine ,chapel1 or a writing desk1 but colour is imperative4 ,his style consisted of little more than selecting a special colour scheme4 ,he took pride in mixing the colours1 but never put them on himself4 ,an ordinary house-painter served the purpose just as well4 ,he looked at a room1 decided what parts should be dark or black1 and then proceeded1 in his most scientific manner1 to find a colour1 delicate and luminous1 that would brighten the walls4 ,no doubt1 he laboured under favourable conditions4 ,but we should not forget that he himself created these conditions1 in which his artistic personality perhaps found its happiest and most characteristic expression4 ,exquisite colour and simplicity and the desire to gain the possible effects of light were the leading characteristics of the ,whistler style4 ,whistler committed one great error4 ,he invariably preferred beauty to comfort4 ,he frequently lost sight of the practical1 with the result that use and beauty were not always combined in due proportion4 ,he had little regard for physical requirements--he himself was always active1 he had no time to lounge1 consequently decorative possibilities alone interested him4 ,it is the same trouble with ,l',art ,nouveau4 ,although infinitely superior to the soulless copyism of different styles as practised by sterling bronze and artistic furniture companies1 it lacks that true artistic feeling for ornamentation1 which makes the designer at once realize the proper limits of his materials and show proper judgment in the uses to which he puts them4 ,whistler was so sensitive to any discord of line or colour1 that he1 no doubt1 would have endured inconvenience rather than have destroyed the harmony of an effect4 ,most of us do not care to exist that way4 ,a house is built to live in1 with as much grace as possible1 but primarily with a feeling of comfort4 ,most people would prefer a modern apartment to an old palace at ,fiesole4 ,the material demands of the owner should determine the construction of the house4 ,the ,american architects begin to realize this more and more4 ,what principle rules the construction of a window8 ,the dimensions of the room4 ,the windows are not made for the street1 to be looked at from the outside2 they are there for the room1 to distribute light and emphasize any special use they may be put to4 ,in a parlour1 for instance1 people are more apt to look out a window than anywhere else2 for that reason the parlour windows should be wider than in other rooms to enable several people to look out comfortably at the same time4 ,a chair is made to sit upon comfortably1 not merely to look beautiful4 ,the most beautiful design in a chair will not condone the torture that may be caused by a shape that does not adapt itself to the human form4 ,the chairs in the ,sarasate music room were exquisite but too stiff to allow any repose4 ,imagine listening to a concert sitting erect1 without being able to stretch out one's limbs4 ,the main reason for not having any comfortable chairs in his own studio was one of self-protection4 ,it was his work-room1 and he wished to prevent visitors from making it a hall of gossip4 ,he preferred to have it empty2 a promenade to contemplate the next master stroke on one of his paintings4 ,when ,whistler was forced to give up the ,white ,house1 and all its beautiful contents were dispersed1 he was enraged that the succeeding owner1 ,arry ,quilter1 took liberties with the facade4 ,quilter had added a bay window1 and1 to ,whistler's idea1 destroyed the entire effect4 ,after that he never wanted to look at it again4 ,on one occasion he expressed his anger in a most amusing manner4 ,to think of ,arry living in the temple ,i created1 he said4 ,he has no use for it4 ,if he had any feeling for the symmetry of things he would come to me and say3 ',here1 ,whistler1 is your house1 take it1 you know its meaning1 ,i don't4 ,take it and live in it4--,but no1 he has not sense enough to see that4' ,harry ,quilter1 no doubt1 got as much enjoyment out of the house as ,whistler did1 although in a different way4 ,extreme sensitiveness in regard to line1 colour and form produces a beautiful result1 not unlike a handsome painting1 but ,i fear it would prove monotonous in the long run4 ,a beautiful room is like a simple melody1 but if the melody has any striking individuality1 we soon tire of it4 ,if the decoration could be kept entirely neutral the problem could be solved satisfactorily4 ,but pink and lemon-yellow are not neutral4 ,not everybody would feel happy in a blue room decorated with purple fans4 ,even a woman in a certain gown would destroy the harmony1 and a definite colour seen all the time1 even if unconsciously1 would soon disturb our mental serenity4 ,the ,whistler rooms were beautiful when no human being moved in them4 ,they were there for the photographer1 but not for congenial habitation4 ,i believe most people will agree that the most beautiful bed is the one in which one can sleep most peacefully2 the most beautiful chair the one which allows perfect relaxation of the body2 the most beautiful glass that which lends itself most gracefully to convey to our lips the special beverage it is intended for4 ,this may sound unsthetic1 but it is common sense4 ,comfort comes first1 whenever ordinary living purposes are concerned4 ,there is plenty of opportunity for the exploration and exfoliation of beauty1 but it should be subordinated to the primary causes4 ,whistler's influence1 in my opinion1 was most beneficial in the arrangement of exhibitions4 ,an exhibition of paintings1 or any work of art1 is solely an sthetic venture1 and should be harmonious at any cost4 ,it is just in this that most exhibitions fail4 ,they show the most incongruous backgrounds1 frames of the most incredible malformations1 floors that are either bare or loudly carpeted and pictures that are hung without the slightest consideration for their colour values4 ,with the simple use of distemper1 matting and muslin ,whistler performed wonders4 ,during his short reign as president of the ,society of ,british ,artists he transformed the ,suffolk ,street galleries from a barn into a dignified exhibition hall4 ,pictures1 frames1 walls1 floors1 lighting and decorations1 each element had its due place1 the one supplementing the other1 and harmonizing1 instead of conflicting with it1 as is so often the case4 ,every year saw some fresh assertions of his leadership4 ,he took a great deal of interest in the arrangement of his own exhibitions1 making some of them occasions for the exploitation of his views in new and original ways4 ,his initial exhibition in ,pall ,mall1 #ahgd1 where1 for the first time1 walls were brought into harmony with the pictures upon them1 and successes in ,bond ,street1 at the ,fine ,arts ,society1 and at ,dowdswell's1 are accepted facts in the art history of ,london4 ,each one of these exhibitions especially embodied the demonstration of a colour scheme or problem of decoration4 ,so there came to pass1 in their turn1 the arrangement in ,flesh ,colour and ,grey1 the harmony in ,gold and ,brown and the arrangement in ,yellow and ,white1 and others1 equally characteristic and original4 ,with scrupulous love of detail1 he neglected nothing and devoted unusual attention to the make-up of the catalogue4 ,the brown-covered paper catalogue of the exhibition of etchings held at the ,fine ,art ,society ,gallery1 in #ahhc1 was issued with the imprint of the artist's home in ,tite ,street1 ,chelsea1 and represented his peculiar views of typography as well as the art of slaying incompetent and hostile reviewers with their own weapons4 ,after the title of each etching was printed a quotation from some criticism1 under the general motto 7on the title page7 ,out of ,their ,own ,mouths ,ye ,shall ,judge ,them4 ,prodigious amateur--there are years when ,mr4 ,whistler gives great promise--,in this instance criticism is powerless--,mr4 ,whistler is eminently vulgar--,general absence of tone--,mr4 ,whistler has produced too much for his reputation--are some of the quotations4 ,the ,gallery1 on this occasion1 was hung with white and yellow1 had yellow matting on the floor1 yellow chairs and yellow flower pots4 ,the attendants at the door were in yellow and white livery1 while the artist wore yellow socks1 and his assistants yellow cravats4 ,for the catalogue of the exhibition of paintings held in #ahhd1 ,whistler prepared a page of propositions called ,l',envoie1 which we quote elsewhere1 and he repeated in the catalogue of his heroic kick in ,bond ,street in #ahib1 the use of quotations from the critics1 for each title entry4 ,the mottoes on this occasion were3 ,the ,voice of a ,people and a sentence from the speech of the ,general ,attorney at the ,whistler v4 ,ruskin trial1 ,i do not know when so much amusement has been offered to the ,british public as by ,mr4 ,whistler's pictures4 ,the artist triumphed1 the success of the exhibition proved the futility of the early judgments4 ,a perusal of this queer document1 even to-day1 elicits a smile2 it is delicious humour and at the same time a splendid assertion of artistic power and self-adulation4 ,the first ,new ,york exhibition of work by ,whistler was held in the old ,wunderlich ,gallery1 on ,broadway1 in ,march1 #ahhi1 when sixty-two ,notes1 ,harmonies and ,nocturnes were shown1 with some accessories of yellow hangings1 flowers1 furniture and footmen imitation of the ,london exhibition of #ahhc4 ,but this sort of thing is rarely successful in this country4 ,it is apt to be misinterpreted1 and somehow looks out of place4 ,one of the finest achievements of the painter is the frame which rightly bears his name4 ,the official exhibitions still insist on the usual monotony of gilt frames1 and the painters seem to have neither any particular inclination nor the opportunity to create frames of lovely forms and well-balanced repeating patterns of their own4 ,the frame-makers and art-dealers are masters of the situation1 and their interests are strictly mercenary ones4 ,attractive enough at first sight1 hopelessly inartistic on further inspection1 is the verdict which one has to give of the average frame of to-day4 ,only a few of our painters oppose the mechanically manufactured frames4 ,they have their frames specially designed for each picture1 ,stanford ,white having been the designer of quite a number of them4 ,their frames are wide and flat1 without corners and centrepieces1 the repeating pattern is generally a simple1 classic ornament1 with a tendency toward parallel lines4 ,the architectural designs1 with ,greek columns in the upright sides1 are rather heavy and less recommendable4 ,whistler's frames1 which served as inspiration to all these later-day designers1 were conceived in simple planes1 broken with parallel grooves that were restful to the eye as sole ornamentation4 ,they were original inventions1 free from any taint of imitation4 ,the gaudy burnished gold effect was substituted by pale gold and bronze that could be tinted and glazed according to the principal colour note of the pictures the frame was designed for4 ,they are so simple that it is difficult to improve their design4 ,but he did not make them for general use1 he merely suggested to other painters the advantageousness of designing their own frames1 as is now largely customary4 ,illustration3 ,,eagle ,,wharf 7,,etching74 ,whistler has performed a brave deed4 ,if he had done nothing else but to improve our taste in the arrangement of exhibitions he would be remembered for many years4 ,he has done far more4 ,he has set up the big ideal of simplicity4 ,his eccentricities and harmonies of decoration may not live4 ,there are many men working on the same problem all over the ,western hemisphere1 and his peculiar style will undergo many modifications and improvements1 but we should never forget that he was one of the first who opened our eyes to a practicable and inexpensive way of beautifying our home and everyday life4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,visions ,,and ,,identifications ,although remarkably sure1 efficient and successful in various branches of art1 ,whistler has to be ranked primarily as a figure painter4 ,in these efforts centre his greatness4 ,he is1 however1 only a figure painter in a modified sense4 ,we look in vain for large and elaborate compositions4 ,he achieved his fame as a portrait and single figure painter4 ,it is strange that a man who had the science of painting at his finger ends should limit himself to single figures4 ,perhaps he knew his limitations1 or1 the limitation of his peculiar view-point as to what painting should be and could accomplish4 ,possibly he went too far in his elimination4 ,who can say8 ,an artist must be true to his own convictions1 and the public and critics must accept1 and1 in time1 learn to appreciate them4 ,analysis of an artist's work is interesting only as far as it helps one to find the right view-point for contemplation4 ,whistler1 of course1 had no use for ordinary portraiture1 as it has been practised for centuries4 ,he felt1 no doubt1 that the time for idealization as well as realistic interpretation of likenesses had passed4 ,no painter can surpass ,van ,dyke in the elegant delineation of men and women1 or ,franz ,hals in the representation of instantaneous expression4 ,whistler wanted a characteristic attitude that expressed in a simple pose or movement an entire personality4 ,but the purely technical problem fascinated him even more1 to express himself forcefully in black and dull colours1 to paint broadly and yet so delicately that no brushwork became visible1 and to create the illusion of atmosphere and space around the human form4 ,his first picture of importance 7started in #ahei71 ,at the ,piano1 was also the first true ,whistler1 not only the ,whistler we admire and cherish to-day but the ,whistler who has exercised an influence on modern painting and who will live as one of the prominent figures in the history of art4 ,i have rarely seen a modern interior treated with more charm and simplicity4 ,a woman1 apparently ,lady ,haden1 in a quaint black old-fashioned gown1 is seated at the piano1 from which she seems to elicit some vague melancholy chords1 while a little girl in white1 in a pensive attitude1 stands opposite her1 in the curve of the instrument4 ,the dark silhouette of the mother is beautifully balanced by the white form of the little girl4 ,there is an astonishing number of horizontal lines in the composition1 but somehow they are not noticed1 at least they do not offend the eye4 ,i believe the diagonal tendency of the figures counteracts all other lines4 ,one peculiarity of ,whistler's interiors and backgrounds is that they nearly always represent a straight wall4 ,he rarely indulged in perspective arrangements4 ,his aim was breadth and simplicity1 and he avoided all cheap pictorial effect4 ,technically1 it still shows the ,stevens' influence--it could almost pass for a genre picture--but in poetical conception and the suggestion of a mystic atmosphere it already predicts all the accomplishments of the artist's prime4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,the ,,piano4 ,in his earlier career ,whistler occasionally made use of more elaborate accessories1 as in his ,little ,white ,girl1 ,the ,princess of the ,porcelain ,land1 and the ,woman in ,white4 ,the latter ,i consider one of his weakest compositions4 ,the figure is rather stiff and too high up in the picture4 ,the carpeted floor looks as though it were sloping4 ,the bottom of the dress is too distinct4 ,the same could be said of the entire contour1 the lines are not sufficiently graceful to permit such clearness of line4 ,also as a painting of a white figure on a white background it is not unsurpassed4 ,katherine ,emmerich1 by ,gabriel ,max1 at the ,pinakothek1 ,munich1 and the ,raffaelli's ,sleeping ,woman1 in the ,wilstach ,gallery1 ,philadelphia1 treat the same theme but are technically superior4 ,whistler developed slowly4 ,only gradually he learned to avoid detail as much as possible1 and only occasionally accentuated it here and there1 as a note of contrast to the larger planes4 ,the years #ahgj-ij were the most active and important years of his career4 ,nearly all his portraits1 those of ,frederick ,leyland1 ,florence ,leyland1 ,miss ,alexander1 ,rose ,corder1 ,sarasate1 ,sir ,henry ,irving as ,philip ,,ii1 ,the ,fur ,jacket1 ,lady ,archibald ,campbell1 ,the ,artist's ,mother1 ,carlyle1 ,theodore ,duret1 ,mme4 ,cassatt1 ,mrs4 ,huth1 ,lady ,meux1 etc41 were painted in that period4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy of the ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york ,,sir ,,henry ,,irving ,,as ,,philip ,,ii4 ,all these later pictures were painted under the ban of ,velasquez4 ,in ,whistler's paintings ,velasquez's art was revived and rejuvenated4 ,he repeats the same inspirations but in an etherealized1 modernized and individualized manner4 ,whistler was triumphantly himself4 ,there is much conjecture as to how ,whistler acquired his knowledge of ,velasquez4 ,joseph ,pennell claims that ,whistler never went to the ,prado in ,madrid4 ,duret tells us1 that during a trip to ,spain in #ahhb1 he intended to go to ,madrid1 but on the way was fascinated by the scenery around ,guethary 7north of ,biarritz7 to such an extent that he prolonged his stay until it was time to return1 without having crossed the ,pyrenees4 ,others1 with a quizzical mien1 say that he might have gone without letting anybody know of it4 ,it is hardly credible that he did not see the ,dwarfs1 the ,spinners1 the ,mercury and ,argus1 the ,maria ,theresa1 ,la ,meninas1 sop1 the ,menippus and the ,surrender of ,breda4 ,however it really matters little4 ,he had seen the portraits of the ,hermitage at an early age1 and was thoroughly acquainted with the various portraits of ,philip ,,ii at the ,london ,national ,gallery4 ,in this age of handbooks one can study ,gozzoli in a ,new ,york garret4 ,of course a trip to ,florence might prove profitable1 but the right man1 with the proper amount of imagination1 knows no obstacle4 ,his intuition will help him to get thoroughly imbued with any subject he is bent upon knowing4 ,the portraits are all single figure studies1 with a plain or simple background4 ,they do nothing4 ,they merely convey the charm of a personality as seen in an arrangement of colour4 ,whistler was a keen observer of facial expression and gesticulation and still more so of that other no less telling kind of expression1 which depends upon our general bearing1 and upon the way we move our limbs and body while we are trying to convey our thoughts and intentions to our neighbours4 ,but this was not the principal theme1 as it is of so many portrait painters4 ,to him the very soul of art was elimination3 to leave out all that could be left out4 ,he realized that he could not proceed in the elimination process as gaily and liberally as in his nocturnes4 ,he needed a more convincing sense of form1 a certain regard for detail--no matter how broadly rendered--and a feeling for accurate line4 ,this fragmentary representation of a human being requires the keenest artistic feeling1 to know exactly when one has to stop in the process of reducing the multiplicity of nature to simple forms1 of discarding superficial traits of the figure and retaining only the essential ones4 ,for elimination is only half the game2 selection makes up the rest4 ,the sureness with which ,whistler stops just upon the border line proves his genius4 ,however vague and enveloped his line may have become1 it has never been pushed beyond the point where it falls into meaningless and spiritless formlessness4 ,whistler's portraiture may be summed up as a never-ceasing study to express a human personality in the subtlest way imaginable4 ,at bottom of all that he creates1 there lies the desire to make his figures betray their character1 emotions1 and their whole personality by means of a tonal vision4 ,in the portrait of ,frederick ,leyland1 the ,medici of ,liverpool 7painted #ahgc71 ,whistler1 for the first time1 introduced the plain background without accessories1 endeavouring to subordinate it to the figure4 ,in the portrait the figure occupies the entire length of the canvas1 and yet is enveloped in atmosphere4 ,i believe this is largely due to the vagueness of outline and the accentuation of the principal points of the human form by touches of light1 as the headlights on the silver buckle of the shoe1 the hand on the hip and the gray overcoat over the left arm4 ,the blacks in this picture have a marvellous quality4 ,the painting of a black evening suit against a pitch black background is one of the masterpieces of modern technique1 over which future ages will not cease to marvel4 ,also the shadow on the grey floor helps4 ,the pose is dignity itself1 but it seems to me that the artist did not quite succeed in carrying out his own ideal4 ,the figure makes the impression as if it were stepping out of the picture1 like a ,rubens4 ,the same problem occupied him for years4 ,he succeeded much better in the ,rose ,corder and ,the ,fur ,jacket2 and in the ,lady ,archibald ,campbell1 also called the ,yellow ,buskin1 he actually solved the problem4 ,the picture is at the ,wilstach ,gallery1 ,philadelphia1 and everybody who has seen it will realize1 or feel1 at least1 that the figure is represented as if actually moving in space4 ,most of his pictures were painted in ordinary rooms1 without a top light1 partly1 no doubt1 because he wanted to paint his sitters under natural1 not artificial conditions4 ,also the ,rose ,corder portrait1 painted in #ahgf1 carries out this sensation4 ,this portrait1 which was purchased by ,richard ,a4 ,canfield from its former owner1 ,graham ,robertson1 is entitled ,an ,arrangement in ,black and ,brown4 ,the differentiation of brown in the hair1 fur1 felt hat1 feather and floor are so subtle and beautiful1 that it would be almost impossible to go any further in the exploitation of one colour4 ,the person who can appreciate the subtleties of these cool1 almost neutral colours1 appreciates ,whistler4 ,it was his main ambition1 even to that extent that he wished the beholder to know of his intention4 ,and that is no doubt the main reason why he called his portraits ,arrangements and ,harmonies1 even as other artists call their portraits ,interpretations1 and their sculptured busts ,versions4 ,titles are really of no importance4 ,they are1 at the best1 only annotations1 but1 as long as they are deemed necessary1 they ought to give a vague suggestion of the subject matter or reveal the technical aim of the painter4 ,whistler's titles are frequently too long1 but they generally convey some direct and valuable information to the beholder4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,richard ,a4 ,canfield ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black ,,and ,,brown3 ,,miss ,,rose ,,corder4 ,the ,florence ,leyland portrait1 painted in #ahgc--;at ,the ,brooklyn ,museum of ,art and ,sciences1--is also much liked by painters4 ,it always seemed to me a trifle dismal in tone4 ,the greys have a muddy look and the background is too black and opaque4 ,it is a study in greys and blacks4 ,the dress1 the floor1 and the feather of the hat are grey4 ,the hat itself1 the gloves and the bow are black4 ,even the handkerchief and the white ruffles that fall over the gloves are grey4 ,the design is elegant and visible1 but swallowed up in the colour4 ,its success or failure depends upon your psychological appreciation of colours4 ,if you like that particular combination you will admire the picture1 and otherwise you will not1 and no argument will persuade you to accept it as a masterpiece4 ,whistler's unusually low key in the majority of his portraits strikes us as peculiar1 even to this day4 ,there are no gold1 rose and mauve flesh tints of a ,titian to be found on his canvases4 ,there is no bloom of flesh which emulates the gleam of a pearl or the luminous grain of a camelia4 ,but the fault-finding is largely the effect of our being accustomed to high-keyed portraiture4 ,whistler explained this1 in his drastic manner1 in an article in the ,london ,world1 ,july1 #ahhf1 which we quote in full3 ,the notion that ,i paint flesh lower in tone than it is in nature is entirely based upon the popular superstition as to what flesh really is--when seen on canvas2 for the people never look at nature with any sense of pictorial appearance--for which reason--by the way--they also never look at a picture with any sense of nature1 but unconsciously from habit1 with reference to what they see in other pictures4 ,now in the usual 'picture of the year' there is but one flesh that should do service under all circumstances1 whether the person painted be in the soft light of the room or in the glare of the open4 ,the one aim of this unsuspecting painter is to make his man stand out from the frame--never doubting that on the contrary1 he should really1 and in truth absolutely does1 stand within the frame--and at a depth behind it equal to the distance at which the painter sees his model1 and nothing could be more offensively inartistic than this brutal attempt to thrust the model on the hitherside of this window4 ,lights have been heightened1 until the white of the tube alone remains--shadows have been deepened until black alone is left4 ,scarcely a feature stays in its place1 so fierce is its intention of 'firmly' coming forth2 and in the midst of this unseemly struggle for prominence1 the gentle truth has but a sorry chance1 falling flat and flavourless and without force4 ,whereas1 could the people be induced to turn their eyes but for a moment1 with the fresh power of comparison1 upon their fellow creatures as they pass in the gallery1 they might be made dimly to perceive1 though ,i doubt it1 so blind is their belief in the bad1 how little they resemble the impudent images on the wall6 how 'quiet' in colour they are1 how grey and low in tone4 ,and then it might be explained to their riveted intelligence how they had mistaken meretriciousness for mastery and by what methods the imposture had been practised upon them4 ,people on the whole prefer brightness to sthetic gloom1 and refuse to accept the unadulterated truth4 ,a beautiful picture6 ,but ,i would not like to see my wife or mother painted that way1 is the general verdict at a ,whistler exhibition4 ,and it includes people who should know better4 ,do not even learned critics excuse the low-keyed1 ash grey tints of ,velasquez faces by asserting that he wished to symbolize the doom of ,spanish feudalism by their paleness8 ,ridiculous6 ,a proud ,spanish cavalier himself1 such a thought would never have entered his head4 ,he painted them with a bloodless enervated complexion1 because they had that kind of complexion and because he1 as a realistic painter1 objected to any idealizing process4 ,it can1 however1 be safely stated that ,whistler frequently went too far in his search for dark tonalities4 ,but there was a reason for it4 ,no primary colour is agreeable with black4 ,if black is the favourite colour he must exclude yellow1 red1 and blue or paint them exceedingly low as ,tissot has done in his ,prodigal ,son series4 ,yellow is the easiest colour to manage1 as black impoverishes its tone4 ,the secondary colours1 like orange1 green1 and violet1 lend themselves more readily to any scheme where black furnishes the prominent note1 but they must be dull1 obscure and possess no brilliancy4 ,white1 on the other hand1 as ,whistler so fully realized in his ,lady ,meux1 ,no4 #a1 will always produce by its extreme difference a harmony of contrast4 ,illustration3 ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black ,,and ,,white3 ,,lady ,,meux 7,,no4 #a74 ,the most suitable colours for a combination with black are the neutral colours1 like grey and brown1 or delicate tints1 like pink and olive1 russet and citrine4 ,at these conclusions every student of the harmony and contrasts of colour must naturally arrive4 ,and ,whistler conquered his knowledge by actual experiments4 ,it was no whim4 ,as long as he favoured black he could not change his colour schemes4 ,his colouring had to be kept cool and the few tones of luminous colours that he introduced had to be broken and neutralized4 ,the scientific facts underlying his colour moods should answer all futile questions of why he selected such deep and sombre colour combinations4 ,we all realize that he is no colourist in the sense of ,memling1 ,pinturicchio1 ,titian1 ,rubens1 ,fragonard1 ,delacroix1 ,makart or ,roybet1 he does not even show us as much variety as ,constable or ,israels or an ,impressionist4 ,i say ,impressionist1 because an ,impressionist's canvas can be deprived of colour 7and how many are7 as much as any black-in-black arrangement of a ,tissot or ,ribot4 ,the high key does not save a picture from being colourless4 ,colour means the full use of the palette1 green1 blue1 red1 and yellow1 on one canvas as distinct sensations and not modified into a general tint4 ,the majority of ,impressionists are tonalists not colourists4 ,franz ,hals and ,velasquez were fond of black and greys but rarely lacked the sense of conveying a delicate colour impression4 ,whistler1 who1 in his portraits is a great tonalist but never a colourist1 displays the same faculty in his best work1 but in some instances his subtle touch seems to have forsaken1 him1 and the result was a dull tonality as in his ,florence ,leyland4 ,a similar colour scheme but of great charm is represented in ,la ,belle ,amricaine 7the only picture that in subject matter bears any relation to ,america74 ,the grey tight-fitting gown and the black boa around the neck in conjunction with the assertive and yet so nonchalant pose have a singular charm4 ,as soon as the outlines of a figure are too much obliterated the charm of colour seems to vanish4 ,colour alone cannot hold it4 ,it demands form to balance it4 ,whistler said that painting was every bit as much a science as mathematics4 ,i fear at times he considered it too much a science1 at least as far as his colour was concerned4 ,he painted figures1 indoors1 so low in tone that he could have added a streak of real sunshine at its proper value to the picture4 ,if his darkest canvases grow darker still with age1 they will be almost indistinguishable4 ,but his scientific attitude rarely played him false in composition4 ,having painted only single figures1 it has been doubted whether he had any extensive knowledge of figure composition4 ,this seems to be a futile question4 ,it is my contention that he limited himself to one figure representation1 because he knew all about ,old ,master composition4 ,he wanted one big total effect and did not see how it could have been reached1 or had been ever reached by anybody except by one single figure4 ,he had nothing in common with the representation of history1 legend or myth and much less of genre1 realism of the gutter1 or descriptive painting4 ,he wanted to represent modern men and women in the costume of to-day4 ,so he chose the single standing or seated figure4 ,why did he never paint a group6 ,perhaps he had found it impossible to obtain in a more elaborate composition the result that he cherished most4 ,a painter must paint from the model1 to approach any degree of verity4 ,a ,monticelli may fake or paint from imagination1 but his colour masses are a different proposition than life-size figures4 ,the fact must be before one's eyes to render them accurately4 ,one figure in modern costume offers such facts in a natural manner4 ,an elaborate group can be secured only with difficulty1 and will never look quite natural4 ,whistler knew his strength1 and did not waste superior energy for a less satisfactory result4 ,this was scientific restraint4 ,and how he controlled the various forms of representation4 ,he invariably chose the most favourable position4 ,a standing figure offers the widest scope of characterization when shown in a full front view4 ,nearly all his men1 ,sarasate1 ,duret1 and ,irving are drawn in that position4 ,but a seated figure is shown to the best advantage in a clear profile1 every student of composition must arrive at the conclusion1 and there was nothing else to do but to paint his ,mother and ,carlyle in that attitude4 ,women on the other hand are more picturesque in outline1 also look well1 standing1 in profile with slightly turned face1 viz41 ,rose ,corder1 ,miss ,alexander1 ,the ,yellow ,buskin1 ,the ,fur ,jacket1 ,mrs4 ,huth1 ,lady ,meux ,no4 #b4 ,also in the delineation of the human face he preferred the simple full-face view1 with just a slight shift to the right or left to show the line of the nose4 ,the three-quarter view is undoubtedly more picturesque1 and when he painted small heads1 among them his own1 he frequently used it4 ,in the larger portraits he wanted dignity1 breadth1 and simplicity and he sacrificed everything to that effect4 ,illustration3 ,wilstach ,gallery1 ,philadelphia ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black3 ,,lady ,,archibald ,,campbell 7,,the ,,yellow ,,buskin74 ,the portraits of ,miss ,cecily ,henrietta ,alexander 7painted in #ahgb71 and ,mr4 ,theodore ,duret 7painted in #ahhc71 show perhaps in the clearest way that he always worked on the same problem4 ,they are1 one may say1 the uniting link between the ,japanese period and the ,carlyle and ,the ,artist's ,mother1 his most finished and perfect work4 ,they have more colour and grace than most of his pictures1 and show the figures with some accessories4 ,both linger in one's mind as a vision of select refinement4 ,little ,miss ,alexander1 with her plumed hat in her hand and her white dress relieved by grey and black accents against a general background1 depicts a pose such as the painter seldom indulged in4 ,there is a flavour of aristocratic coquetry1 a flavour of ,gainsborough and ,boldini in this attitude1 an attribute that in this instance is as important to the picture as the unusual colour scale4 ,it took him years to finish this picture1 and nobody can appreciate how many weary hours of anguish it cost the little model4 ,more than once it reduced her to tears4 ,one day as she was entering the studio she met ,carlyle1 who was sitting also for his portrait4 ,puir lassie6 ,puir lassie6 he said4 ,but ,whistler had no pity4 ,he had but little consideration for his sitters or models2 he forgot their presence as soon as he became entangled in the intricacies of his technique4 ,the ,duret on the other hand shows superior characterization4 ,it may be because the figure is more clearly silhouetted1 the outlines of the gaunt figure are as plain as they can be4 ,the painter tried to brighten up the black suit problem with a light background and pink domino4 ,the strange combination of an awkward shape1 with almost a touch of brutality in its make-up1 and the gay insignia of an opera ball1 the domino and red fan1 arouse a feeling of grotesque drollery1 and yet it is all so forbiddingly proud that one is strongly fascinated by the canvas4 ,one of the most important portraits that compete with the ,leyland1 ,duret and ,miss ,alexander is the ,arrangement in ,black3--,portrait of the ,senor ,pablo de ,sarasate1 painted about #ahhd4 ,here we have the true ,whistler atmosphere1 the blurred contour of the violinist's figure1 which melts into the background without losing the form1 the elimination of all unnecessary details and accessories1 and the concentration of light on the face1 shirt-front1 hands and cuffs4 ,it is astonishing how few bright planes there are in most of ,whistler's portraits4 ,in the ,sarasate the lighted planes scarcely occupy one-thirtieth part of the picture4 ,the rest is all darkness1 except the vague shimmer on the floor1 suggesting the footlight on the platform of a concert hall4 ,the light floor is one of the leading characteristics of his single standing figures4 ,it helps to suggest space4 ,there is depth in the background2 it is not opaque like most backgrounds but vibrant with subtle differentiations of values4 ,the figure is standing in space4 ,one might think at first that this is brought about by the smallness of the figure4 ,joseph ,pennell says that what ,whistler was trying to do was to paint the man on a shadowy concert platform as the audience saw him4 ,sarasate is intended to look small1 less than life-size1 as he would appear upon the concert stage4 ,i do not agree with this4 ,i have heard ,sarasate play in ,europe and ,america but never saw him on a shadowy platform4 ,to me the conception is a much bigger one4 ,this is not the ,sarasate of ordinary life1 nor is it the one we know from the concert hall4 ,the artist has attempted to suggest the whole atmosphere that surrounds the life of musical genius4 ,and he accomplished it by introducing a male figure in an ordinary dress-suit with a shimmering shirt front1 the outlines of which are lost in vibrant emptiness4 ,only the violin and bow occupy a certain prominence4 ,all is balanced by the bow1 as ,whistler remarked to ,sidney ,starr4 ,the figure always seemed to me a trifle small4 ,i personally prefer the ,leyland size1 as it is more dignified4 ,it does not seem logical to sacrifice beauty and breadth to a mere illusion4 ,the whole tonal school and pictorial photography in particular have been influenced by the ,pablo ,sarasate1 now at the ,carnegie ,art ,institute1 ,pittsburg1 ,pennsylvania4 ,it gives unparalleled joy to the followers of dark tonalities4 ,as usual the imitators--painters as well as photographers--have exaggerated the extreme rather than normal aspect of the painter's art4 ,for what is most to be admired technically in ,whistler is the frugality1 the thinness of his brush work1 that1 despite the low pitch and flatness of its colour tints1 reveals an astounding variety1 subtlety and virility1 a vibrancy that seems to radiate from the canvas4 ,for unobtrusiveness of paint ,whistler has few rivals4 ,in comparison with him ,monet seems a plebeian and ,sargent a sleight of hand performer4 ,he combines the fanaticism of a perfect technique with the search for truth and a desire to create new sensations1 and expresses our breathless modern life1 with all its intricate moods4 ,his art revels in the realms of imagination unknown to ,manet's realism1 and ,zorn's and ,sargent's pyrotechnical displays of technique look barbarous in comparison to ,whistler's smooth1 fluid1 unerring brushwork1 which masters all the optical illusions of this world with wizard-like dexterity4 ,he created a style for himself1 and his space and colour arrangements have exerted a deep and lasting influence on modern painting4 ,whether he is as great a painter as some critics make him--whether he is as big as ,franz ,hals1 for instance1 is still a matter of discussion4 ,he will always live in the history of art as being the first man who combined the beauties of ,eastern design with the principles of ,western art4 ,the mysterious atmosphere of some of his canvases 7from which solid forms emerge or recede into71 is a poetic translation of ,japanese suggestiveness--which does not care to create an illusion1 but rather suggests it4 ,whistler in his portraits was not an initiator of a new art like ,monet in his landscapes4 ,he was the last and most perfect of an old school4 ,he merely pushed to their extreme consequence the principles which all great painters since ,velasquez have championed4 ,he followed more closely what one might call the thematic development of tone1 and discerned more plainly the significance and mystery that lie hidden in blurred objects4 ,the portrait of the sthete1 ,count ,robert de ,montesquiou de ,fezensac1 who honoured this shore with a visit 7painted in #ahij-ia71 was one of the last pictures of this series4 ,whistler undertook several portraits of this peculiar1 high-strung personality but finished only one4 ,he explained that it was impossible to produce the same masterpiece twice over--as difficult as for a hen to lay the same egg over twice4 ,the pose is one of hauteur as becomes the author of ,les ,hortenses ,bleus4 ,he wears a dress-suit1 and a dark overcoat with a grey lining is thrown over his arm while the other arm thrusts forth a slender cane-like sword4 ,as it is so frequently the case with ,whistler's arrangement1 it is more a play with colour than a character delineation4 ,a character delineation plus tone is surely more admirable than mere tonality or mere character delineation4 ,in his ,leyland1 ,mother1 ,duret1 and ,carlyle he accomplished both4 ,in this one he only excelled in one4 ,i also fail to see why he called it ,black and ,gold1 as ,i cannot discover the slightest suggestion of gold4 ,it is brown and black4 ,there is little use in reviewing each of his arrangements separately as they all carry out the same principle4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,richard ,a4 ,canfield ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black ,,and ,,gold3 ,,comte ,,de ,,montesquiou4 ,in his two1 perhaps1 most important pictures1 which are generally conceded to be his masterpieces1 his ,carlyle and ,the ,artist's ,mother1 both arrangements in black and grey1 the painter is a trifle more precise in line4 ,he depicted1 as background1 actual walls of a room and made an unusual excursion to the domain of space arrangement4 ,had he at the time arrived at the conclusion that a deep sentiment1 no matter how vague1 as that of a great philosopher and an adorable woman1 can be rendered successfully by illusion rather than suggestion6 ,the ,carlyle was exhibited as early as #ahgg1 and purchased after many weary negotiations by the ,glasgow ,city ,gallery in #ahia4 ,it is a masterpiece of characterization1 of tone and space composition4 ,it is a most formidable object lesson to any portraitist4 ,notice how purely simple and well balanced the composition of ,carlyle is1 how all the details of dress have been eliminated1 how the outline has been accentuated against the background1 how naturally the figure is seated1 and how well it has been placed in space4 ,there is an atmosphere around the figure4 ,one feels that the person is seated in a room4 ,illustration3 ,city ,art ,gallery1 ,glasgow ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black ,,and ,,gray3 ,,thomas ,,carlyle4 ,the same can be said of the composition in the portrait of ,the ,artist's ,mother1 at the ,luxembourg ,gallery1 ,paris4 ,it was first exhibited at the ,royal ,academy in ,london4 ,in the season of #ahhb it appeared in ,america1 and then was shown at the ,paris ,salon in #ahhh4 ,it was also seen in ,munich1 and was finally purchased by the ,french ,government in #ahia4 ,the simple pose1 the delicate way of handling detail in the lace cap and the hands1 the masterly space arrangement1 produced largely by the rectangular curtain and the silhouette of the figure1 the fine sense of values1 and the clever way in which he utilizes a few frames to break the monotony of the background all have been commented upon a hundred times4 ,no modern painting has been more talked about and more frequently imitated than this one1 but none of the adaptations has reached or surpassed its pathos and tender depth of expression4 ,technically it is perfect4 ,it is not the technique1 however1 which principally interests us in the picture4 ,just as in his ,sarasate1 ,whistler attempted in his ,mother to give us the whole atmosphere that surrounds a personality4 ,old ,mrs4 ,whistler was a stern ,presbyterian and her religious views must have been trying to her son4 ,yet ,jimmy1 though he used to give a queer smile when he mentioned them1 never in any way complained of the old lady's strict ,sabbatarian notions1 to which he bowed without remonstrance4 ,this differentiation of character between mother and son explains much of the rigid ,quaker-like and yet so sympathetic pose of the picture4 ,the artist does not merely represent his old mother4 ,he endowed the old woman1 sitting pensively in a grey interior1 with one of the noblest and mightiest emotions the human soul is capable of--the reverence and calm we feel in the presence of our own aging mother4 ,and with this large and mighty feeling1 in which all discords of mannerisms are dissolved1 and1 by the tonic values of two ordinary dull colours1 he succeeded in writing an epic1 a symphony domestica1 of superb breadth and beauty--a symbol of the mother of all ages and all lands1 slowly aging as she sits pensively amidst the monotonous colours of modern life4 ,nothing simpler and more dignified has been created in modern art4 ,illustration3 ,luxembourg ,gallery1 ,paris ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black ,,and ,,gray3 ,,the ,,artist',s ,,mother4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,in ,,quest ,,of ,,line ,,expression ,artist1 thou art king6 ,art is the true empire6 ,when thy hand has drawn a perfect line1 the cherubims themselves descend to delight themselves in it as in a mirror1 wrote ,mrodack ,peladan1 in his preface to the ,catalogue of the ,salon de la ,rose-,croix 7#ahib74 ,he expressed a great truth1 that macabre and cabalistic poet-artist4 ,there is nothing more exquisite1 more enjoyable1 perhaps1 to the art lovers than a perfect line4 ,pure line expression1 as it is found in ,drer1 ,harunobu1 ,raphael1 and ,ingres1 is a pleasure apart from all other pictorial representations4 ,it is more intellectual and more remote from all sensuous pleasure than colour1 tone1 light or shade4 ,it is a language of itself which enables the artist to convey an abstract impression of his individuality4 ,and no medium expresses line in as pure and unadulterated a fashion as etching4 ,it makes the most of it4 ,etching is the true worship of linear expression4 ,in all other mediums there is a slight desire to hide line1 it merely serves as an accessory4 ,in etching it reigns supreme4 ,there are no obstacles to the etching needle except incompetence4 ,it translates every wish of the artist1 the slightest accent or deviation with unerring precision and vitality4 ,the ,japanese1 no doubt1 achieved the greatest mastery of the drawn line that has ever been known to history4 ,only the line form of the ,greek competes with it4 ,the ,japanese artists revelled in line expression1 and it passed through all possible variations1 from the sweep of ,tanyu's brush and the classic curve of ,harunobu to the angular ,drer-like twist of ,hokusai4 ,but even their line1 unless made by the brush1 cannot rival in virility1 delicacy and precision the line of a master etcher4 ,in his paintings ,whistler sacrificed line too much4 ,he felt that he had to find a medium in which he had absolute freedom to satisfy his desire and so he alighted upon etching4 ,a draughtsman so sure of himself1 so adroit at realizing by simple contrasts of black and white all the effects of which that austere1 monochromatic medium is capable of1 did not1 one supposes1 find himself unprepared to use the needle1 and1 indeed1 at the first attempt1 ,whistler proved himself a successful etcher4 ,true enough1 his earliest work1 like ,la ,vieille aux ,loques1 ,la ,marchande de ,moutarde1 ,la ,cuisine1 and ,la ,mre ,grard1 betrays a keen sense of the beauty of material2 but they are1 after all1 conventional productions and show a slight influence of ,rembrandt's etchings and the ,little ,dutch ,masters4 ,they are attempts at realistic picture-making1 and1 no matter how broadly the objects are conceived and carried out1 look spotty4 ,the light and shade division could be more scientific1 and the tonality consequently a finer one4 ,too many little things fill out the pictorial scheme4 ,he still worked for the effect of dignified completeness and had not yet learned to apply his later sense of elimination4 ,the certainty and freedom of his draughtsmanship is always admirable4 ,there is no academic pedantry in his drawing and no laborious effort4 ,the beholder is charmed by its fascinating expressiveness and delightful flexibility4 ,his perspective views and figure subjects convey an impression of unhesitating knowledge of form and contour and of an exact understanding of subtleties of modelling4 ,they show no struggle with difficulties of statement2 everything seems to come right1 as a matter of course1 and to fit together naturally without any deliberate intention on his part4 ,illustration3 ,,la ,,vieille ,,aux ,,loques 7,,etching74 ,it was in #ahee-eh1 during a trip to ,alsace ,lorraine with ,delonney1 an artist friend1 when he made his first attempts at etching4 ,a few dated prints like the ,scene in ,alsatian ,village and ,street at ,saverne of this period are highly treasured by collectors1 and pronounced as good as any that came after4 ,a few years later1 in the sixties1 he took up the process more seriously and remained its ardent disciple ever afterwards4 ,in the eighties he devoted more time to his etchings1 pastels and water colours than to larger paintings4 ,his fastidious love for rare and picturesque subjects made him select a number of favourite sketching grounds4 ,they were the ,thames embankments1 of which he never tired1 the ,french towns of ,tours1 ,bourges and ,loches1 also ,venice1 and the ,netherlands4 ,of course1 like every true artist1 he etched everything that appealed to him4 ,there are numerous ,london and ,paris sketches1 scenes from ,ajaccio and ,algiers1 and many figure compositions1 character studies and portraits4 ,but his ,french1 ,thames1 ,belgium1 ,holland and two ,venice series are probably the most interesting from a collector's point of view1 as they combine in a more pronounced manner direct ,whistlerian methods with the quest of line expression4 ,illustration3 ,,street ,,in ,,saverne 7,,etching74 ,his first designs of the ,thames series were made in #ahei4 ,some few themes recur with many variations1 such as the battered shop-fronts of ,chelsea1 ,the ,pool1 the ,london bridges1 the barges on the river1 and the wharfs1 warehouses and factories1 like ,price's ,candle ,works4 ,a few years later he made a trip through the northern part of ,france1 and one of the finest results was the learned1 spirited ,htel de ,ville at ,loches4 ,in #ahgi he made his first trip to ,venice1 stayed fourteen months and made forty-four etchings during the time1 including ,little ,venice1 ,san ,biagio1 and ,the ,garden4 ,in later years ,holland attracted him almost as much as the city of the ,adriatic4 ,it is interesting to note his absolute disdain of literary associations4 ,to him ,venice was not1 as to ,heine1 the city of ,shakespeare4 ,when he crossed the ,rialto and ,piazzetta he did not hear the voice of ,shylock lamenting for his daughter1 nor did he conjure up splendid visions of decayed power1 as did ,ruskin in his ,stones of ,venice4 ,the ,venice of ,claude ,lorraine and ,turner existed for him as little as the panoramic suavity of a ,canaletto4 ,he was satisfied with sitting at a little trattoria near the old ,post ,office1 at ,florian's1 or in his simple sitting room at ,san ,barnaba1 dreaming of some linear expression of an old bridge or archway1 of some enchanted fragment of vision1 or a peculiar flush of colour over the ,grand ,canal4 ,to him ,venice was a modern city4 ,he only saw what was actually there1 and when it fascinated him1 he seized his burin or crayon and endeavoured1 with frank directness1 to record the pictorial event4 ,he invariably chose subjects that appealed to the experienced collector rather than the general public4 ,he never idealized or conventionalized1 nor did he belong to those who only see the ugly side of life1 its squalor and unpicturesqueness4 ,some of ,whistler's admirers have pronounced him not only the greatest etcher of the day1 but of all times1 and compared him to ,rembrandt4 ,this comparison is not without justification1 inasmuch as ,whistler was not a professional etcher but a great artist who1 like ,rembrandt1 took up the etching point as an instrument for new expression4 ,they both sketched with wonderful freedom4 ,they were no mechanics2 under their hands the point lost the engraving look and became wonderfully free4 ,still1 to say that ,whistler was the best etcher of the day is rather a sweeping expression4 ,lalanne1 ,jacquemart1 ,appian1 ,veyrasset1 ,meyrion1 ,zorn1 ,pennell1 ,raffaelli1 ,rops and ,klinger are all wonderful etchers4 ,in painting1 his mastership is indisputable4 ,in etching ,i do not feel it quite as keenly4 ,there is not the slightest doubt that etchings like ,jo1 ,the ,adam and ,eve ,tavern1 ,chelsea1 ,soupe ,trois ,sous1 ,the ,lion's ,wharf1 the beautiful little still life ,the ,wine ,glass1 the portrait of ,becquet1 ,unsafe ,tenement1 the ,battersea ,bridge of #ahgi--;a masterpiece of masterpieces--show uncommon ability1 which gives up everything to the right point and never beyond it4 ,one of the most ravishing designs is his ,girl on a ,couch4 ,the ,model ,resting1 quite different in execution1 is scarcely less captivating4 ,but much of his work seems to be a little too elaborate1 too overcrowded with line work4 ,i do not particularly admire prints like his ,southampton ,docks1 ,portrait of ,drouet or ,the ,silent ,canal4 ,this is more astonishing when one compares them with the frugal technique of his paintings4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of ,,drouet 7,,etching74 ,a rather just1 though somewhat pedantic1 criticism came from the pen of ,hamerton in #ahha3 ,amongst living men ,whistler may be cited as an etcher of rare quality in one important respect1 the management of lines1 but his etchings owe much of strange charm which they possess to ,chinese disdain of tonal values1 and to wayward caprice1 loving it here and scorning it there1 which1 being strictly personal1 can only be of use as an example in one sense1 that it shows how valuable in art is genuine personal feeling4 ,whistler is an admirably delicate draughtsman when he likes2 there are passages in his etchings which are as striking in their way as feats of execution1 as the most wonderful passages of ,meyrion4 ,there can be little fault found with this statement4 ,i take objection only to the wayward caprice and the ,chinese disdain4 ,i think that ,whistler learned loving detail here and scorning it there only in his later works4 ,it came out strongly in compositions like ,the ,balcony1 ,doorway1 and ,palace and obtained full mastery in his ,dutch series1 above all the fascinating ,amsterdam ,canal piece1 when the lines were so vague and subtle that deep biting was impossible and a few impressions would efface the design4 ,as for the ,chinese disdain of tonal values1 ,i think it is ,whistler's particular merit that he gradually abolished tonality altogether1 and1 in his later work1 rarely resorted to cross-hatching4 ,he laid more stress upon the simplification of line4 ,etchings can produce tonal sensations1 but it is surely not the main object to strive for4 ,whistler followed ,haden's doctrine that the line ought to be preserved as much as possible1 and made the most of it4 ,if the linear expression is sacrificed in etching there is no executive expression left2 there is no brushwork to take its place2 the etcher is working with a point and not with a brush1 and there must be primarily point expression1 that is line expression1 or none4 ,illustration3 ,,black ,,lion ,,wharf 7,,etching74 ,otto ,h4 ,bacher has written a few analytical notes of ,whistler's line work4 ,where it required accuracy he was minute4 ,he used his needle with the ease of a draughtsman with a pen4 ,he grouped his lines in an easy1 playful way that was fascinating4 ,they would often group themselves as tones1 a difficult thing to get in an etching4 ,he used line and dot in all its phases with certainty4 ,sometimes the lines formed a dark shadow of a passage through a house1 with figures in the darkness so beautifully drawn that they looked far away from the spectator4 ,these shadows which so beautifully defined darkness were made only by many lines carefully welded together and made vague as the shadows became faint in the distance or contrasted with some light object4 ,he made his etched lines feel like air against solids4444 ,if he etched a doorway1 he played with the lines and allowed them to jumble themselves into beautiful forms and contrasts1 but was always very careful of the general direction they should run as a whole4 ,bacher saw a good deal of ,whistler in ,venice1 perhaps more so than any one else1 and his observations on ,whistler's etching tools1 how he ground and bit his plates1 are extremely interesting4 ,in grounding plates ,whistler used the old-fashioned ground1 composed of white wax1 bitumen1 pitch and rosin4 ,he heated the plates with an ordinary alcohol flame1 holding the plate in a small hand vise4 ,the silk covered dabber that spread the ground over the plate was fascinatingly managed by ,whistler4444 ,when he came to smoking the plate he preferred the old wax taper made for that purpose4 ,he kept his two etching needles1 very sharp ordinary dentist tools1 in cork1 to preserve their fine points4 ,whistler always had his stopping-out varnish with him in a small bottle1 applying it with a brush in a most delicate manner4 ,he did not make use of any mirror but preferred the old negative process4 ,when he bit a plate he put it on the corner of a kitchen table1 with his retouching varnish1 etching needle1 feather and bottle of nitric acid1 at hand1 ready for instant use4 ,taking a feather1 he would place it at the mouth of the bottle of acid1 tipping bottle and allowing acid to run down the feather and drip on plate4 ,he moved bottle and feather always in the same position around the edges until plate was covered1--would use feather continually to wash acid backward and forward upon the plate1 keeping parts equally covered1 and blowing away air bubbles4 ,frequently ,whistler sketched directly on copper plates4 ,he carried the prepared plates in his pockets or in a book and when he found a motif sketched it in improvisatore fashion4 ,his sketches of the ,annual ,review at ,spithead1 in #ahhg1 show his uncommon facility as a sketch artist4 ,he was the champion of dry point4 ,already during the ,leyland period he selected dry point as a favourite medium4 ,and in this1 to my notion1 lies the strength of ,whistler as an etcher4 ,whistler added1 as ,joseph ,pennell has so beautifully said1 a new scientific method to the art of etching--that of painting on the copper plate with the needle4 ,as a printer of his own plates he seems to have been quite an expert4 ,he1 no doubt1 allowed himself great latitude and experimented with each plate1 so that few impressions resemble each other4 ,although he had abolished blacks and dark tonal passages at an early date1 he frequently painted on the plate with printer's ink1 and went through an elaborate process of wiping4 ,of course this makes the excellence of the impression uneven1 but also makes a particularly good one a more valuable possession4 ,the intention was always the same4 ,from the very start he sought for the same arrangement of lines and spaces1 the same effect as in his ,venetian plates4 ,he wanted breadth--not breadth of line itself1 but breadth of expression4 ,after all it was a growth and slow development4 ,he became simpler and simpler1 and well nigh reached perfection in his ,parisian series of #ahib-ic1 of little shops1 boulevard scenes1 and public gardens1 and in prints like ,the ,little ,mast1 ,the ,riva1 ,the ,barber1 and ,zaandam he acquired his wonderful sense for right workmanship on a small scale4 ,some of his etchings of fragments of architecture have never been surpassed in sketchy treatment2 most noticeable perhaps in the exaggerated simplicity of the ,london ,bridge and in the ,holland series of the nineties4 ,there we realize that great simplicity of motif is dependent on great simplicity of genius4 ,the effects are so spontaneous and subdued that their value might well escape common observation4 ,the extreme sensibility is a matter of both touch and vision4 ,his plates look as if the rapidity of execution had been extraordinary1 and yet his line1 as delicate at times as in silver point drawings1 is not exactly what we could call nervous1 but of remarkable freedom and unerring precision4 ,it is piquant and sprightly1 subtle and alert4 ,the lines can almost be counted in some of his later etchings4 ,he had learned the truth of the proverb ,wise economy is everything4 ,it was even more than wise economy4 ,it was the highest expression of artistic wisdom1 which had almost disappeared since the surface decorations of ,greek vases1 in which mood1 character and incident were reduced to a few details1 strong enough to incite in the imagination of the beholder all that was eliminated4 ,every art is at its best when it is most itself4 ,nobody realized this more than ,whistler1 who invariably emphasized this4 ,he had an absolutely clear idea of what every medium could do4 ,in his larger paintings it was the exploitation of a few dull colours1 of a silhouette in space combined with psychological research2 in his nocturnes1 a play of slightly differentiated tones2 in his water-colours a mere suggestion of reality2 and in his pastels a certain joyousness of expression4 ,pure line1 caprice of detail1 distance and atmosphere1 he reserved for his etchings2 and a subtle expression of values of moss-like gradations for his lithographs4 ,his decision may not always appear right to others1 but it was right to him4 ,how carefully he thought out these technical problems is shown in his ,propositions1 which he addressed to an ,american etching club that had invited him to take part in a competition of large plates4 ,he wrote the following series of maxims that should be posted on the wall of every studio3 ,that art is criminal to go beyond the means used in its exercise4 ,that the space to be covered should always be in proper relation to the means used for covering it4 ,that in etching1 the means used1 or instruments employed1 being the finest possible point1 the space to be covered should be small in proportion4 ,that all attempts to overstep the limits insisted upon such proportions are inartistic thoroughly1 and tend to reveal the paucity of the means used1 instead of concealing the same1 as required by art in its refinement4 ,that the huge plate1 therefore1 is an offence--its undertaking an unbecoming display of determination and ignorance--in accomplishment a triumph of unthinking earnestness and uncontrolled energy--both endowments of the 'duffer4' ,illustration3 ,,wapping1 ,,on ,,the ,,thames 7,,etching74 ,that the custom of ',remarque' emanates from the amateur and reflects his foolish facility beyond the border of his picture1 thus testifying to his unscientific sense of its dignity4 ,that it is odious4 ,that1 indeed1 there should be no margin on the proof to receive such ',remarque4' ,that the habit of the margin1 again1 dates from the outsider1 and continues with the collector in his unreasoning connoisseurship--taking curious pleasure in the quantity of the paper4 ,that the picture ending where the frame begins1 and in the case of etchings1 the white mount1 being inevitably1 because of its colour1 the frame1 the picture thus extends itself irrelevantly through the margin of the mount4 ,that wit of this kind would leave six inches of raw canvas between the painting and its gold frame1 to delight the purchaser with the quality of the cloth4 ,we may not agree with his conclusion on the margin and remarque4 ,the latter1 no doubt1 was introduced by the artist to please the purchaser4 ,it is therefore1 if a fault at all1 that of the artist as much as of the collector4 ,the question of margin is an individual one4 ,there is little difference between a mat and a margin1 and the ,japanese print and the framing of black and whites in general have taught us the utility of uneven spacing around the picture4 ,the remainder of the argument is excellent1 theoretically as well as sthetically4 ,whistler's composition1 excepting the ,french set1 was strictly impressionistic4 ,one merely has to look at the ,cadogan ,pier1 ,the ,little ,pool1 ,old ,hungerford ,bridge1 ,little ,wapping1 ,the ,velvet ,dress1 ,the ,dam ,wood1 ,the ,long ,lagoon1 etc41 to come to this conclusion4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,hungerford ,,bridge 7,,etching74 ,the word impressionism is rather difficult to explain4 ,it is on the tongue of everybody1 and yet few mean exactly the same thing when they make use of it4 ,the term applied formerly to every art expression--as every artist endeavoured to render an impression--has been specialized in the latter half of the last century4 ,it has become the nickname of a definite number of painters1 who have adopted a new palette 7as suggested by scientific researches7 and introduced a new method of laying colours on the canvas4 ,in recent years the term has undergone another change--it has become a general claim for individuality of subject and treatment4 ,first of all1 let us determine what difference there really is between the old and the new style of impressionism4 ,the artist of the old school received an impression and elaborated upon it4 ,he embellished it with all his art was capable of1 and the original impression underwent all sorts of changes4 ,it was merely the first inspiration--the foundation stone upon which the whole art structure was erected4 ,the artist of the new school1 on the other hand1 endeavours to reproduce the impression he has received1 unchanged4 ,he wants the impression itself1 and wants to see it on his canvas as he has seen and felt it1 hoping that his interpretation may call forth similar sthetic pleasures in others as the original impression did in him4 ,it is a singular coincidence1 indeed1 that while the men of the lens busy themselves with imitating the art of several centuries ago1 those of the brush are seeking but for the accuracy of the camera plus technical individuality4 ,the impressionist painters adhere to a style of composition that apparently ignores all previous laws4 ,they depict life in scraps and pigments1 as it appears haphazard in the finder or on the ground glass of the camera4 ,the mechanism of the camera is essentially the one medium which renders every interpretation impressionistic1 and every photographic print1 whether sharp or blurred1 is really an impression4 ,how did the impressionistic painters arrive at this new style of composition8 ,permit me two questions4 ,when was impressionism introduced into painting8 ,in the sixties4 ,when did photography come into practice8 ,in the early forties4 ,do you see what ,i am driving at8 ,photography in the sixties was still a comparative novelty1 and consequently excited the interest of pictorial reformers more than it does to-day4 ,its influence must have been very strongly felt1 and the more ,i have thought of the nature of this influence the stronger has become the conviction in me that the impressionistic style of composition is largely of photographic origin4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,silent ,,canal 7,,etching74 ,impressionistic composition is unthinkable without the application of focus4 ,the lens of the camera taught the painter the importance of a single object in space to realize that all subjects cannot be seen with equal clearness1 and that it is necessary to concentrate the point of interest according to the visual abilities of the eye4 ,there is no lens1 as everybody knows1 which renders foreground and middle distance equally well4 ,if three objects1 for instance1 a house1 a tree and a pool of water1 stand at different depths before the camera1 the photographer can1 at will1 fix either the house1 the tree or the pool of water1 but whatever one of these three objects it will be1 the other two objects will appear less distinct4 ,the human eye could have told the painter the same story1 as the eye naturally and instinctively rests on the most pleasing part of the scene1 and in so doing1 puts out of focus more or less all the other parts4 ,it is a curious fact that all the compositions of the ,old ,masters were out of focus4 ,true enough they swept minor light and colour notations into larger ones1 but there seldom was any definite indication in their work whether an object was in the foreground or middle distance4 ,this way of seeing things was1 no doubt1 a voluntary one--they had a different idea of pictorial interpretation4 ,in their pictures1 as in nature1 we continually allow our attention to flit from one point to the other in the endeavour to grasp the whole1 and the result is a series of minor impressions1 which consciously influence the final and total impression we receive from a picture4 ,the impressionist is satisfied with giving one full impression that stands by itself1 and it was the broadcast appearance of the photographic images in the sixties that taught him to see and represent life in focal planes and divisions4 ,in the catalogue of ,whistler's etchings1 arranged by ,frederick ,wedmore in #ahhf1 we find #bad prints enumerated and commented upon4 ,in a later edition the number had increased to #bfh4 ,in the ,catalogue of etchings of ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler1 compiled by an amateur and published by ,wunderlich in ,new ,york1 #aijb1 and which claims to contain all known etchings by the artist1 the number is #cgb4 ,but as ,whistler was working on copper all his life1 it is difficult to state how many etchings he really made4 ,joseph ,pennell1 who probably knows more about this phase of art than any living man1 makes a statement as follows3 ,i know little1 and can say less1 of the state of his plates1--and ,i believe he himself knew little more about them1--how many were printed1 whether they exist or not1 or what has become of the coppers4 ,all ,i do know is that in the case of the ,thames set1 long after ,whistler or ,deltre--,i am not sure which--had pulled a certain number of proofs1 long after the plates had been steeled and regularly published1 about #ahga1 and later still1 after a ,bond ,street dealer had been selling them in endless numbers to artists for a few shillings each1 the idea was suggested to another dealer that he should purchase the copper plates1 remove the lead facings and1 if they were in condition1 print as many as the plates would stand1 or1 if they were not1 destroy the plates and sell them2 for even ,whistler's destroyed copper plates have a value4 ,the experiment was tried1 and extraordinarily fine proofs were obtained4 ,i believe collectors resented this very much1 but artists rejoiced1 and the world is richer by a number of splendid examples of the master4 ,illustration3 ,,view ,,of ,,amsterdam 7,,etching74 ,whistler gave etching a new impetus1 and a new significance in the use of line2 even as ,mrs4 ,schuyler ,van ,rensselaer has so well expressed it3 in telling use of a line he has no superior among the modern and few equals in any age4 ,his work is never dull1 nor cold1 nor commonplace4 ,it is always fascinating and capable of provoking sthetic sentiments4 ,at times it is of slight constitution1 a mere passing fancy1 leaving many objects in the stage of mere suggestion1 but it always has a finished look4 ,and finish1 as he understood it1 meant the carrying on of a technical process until it had fulfilled to the utmost its mission and explanation1 until not a touch more was needed to make clear the intention which the picture embodied4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,moss-,,like ,,gradations ,grey is the colour of modern life4 ,there is some truth in the statement4 ,modern civilization shuns the slashed doublet and purple cloak4 ,beauty of colour1 as a ,titian and ,veronese understood it1 belongs to the past4 ,the brilliancy and splendour has faded out of it4 ,the modern painter uses a more limited scale of colour1 and the tendency is toward grey4 ,man's garb is monotone1 and the life in large cities devoid of the rich colour-bursts of medival life4 ,the contrasts are all in lower1 paler and murkier tones1 and grey1 in most instances1 furnishes the keynote and general harmonizer4 ,all the artists who have a fine feeling for the arrangement of colours have realized that harmonies of red1 green and violet1 which shone so resplendently from the warm brown tones of the ,old ,masters1 are the dreams of another age4 ,even the impressionists1 by the very character of their technical innovations1 notably the abolition of browns1 the struggle for a higher pitch of light by the interaction of purely applied colours and the exaggeration of the transparency of shadows1 are pursuing the grey phantom of modern art4 ,their ambition is no longer a combination of bright colours1 as in ,veronese's ,marriage of ,cana1 but a tonality of dull yellow or green1 which pervades the whole surface of the pictures4 ,the flowing robes1 flowers and gold ornaments1 once so radiant on the canvases of the ,renaissance1 have turned as pale as ashes4 ,we take delight to-day in subtler gradations1 in semi and quarter tones1 the losing of forms in mystic shadows1 a restless1 suggestive technique of mobile touches1 nervous sparkles1 of delicate broken tints that show a hundred differentiations4 ,and this over-sensitiveness and fastidious objection to strong contrast1 this love for the externals of technique1 raising brushwork to a higher pedestal than the idea1 has much to do with the exclusiveness of modern painting and the keener appreciation for monochrome4 ,in monochrome representation the eye has to deal only with one mode of perception--that of form4 ,the perception of colour depends upon the differentiation of the effect upon the optical nerve fibres1 that of form on the numbers and relative position of the latter4 ,the latter mode of sthetic perception is1 in our times1 more trained and developed1 as it is in constant usage4 ,reproductive processes1 the halftone and photography1 have made monochrome a vehicle of expression almost as popular as the spoken word4 ,to former ages only the various processes of engraving were known4 ,with the exception of etching and wood engraving1 they were applied largely to popularize the products of painters1 and the independent etchers and block-cutters generally adhered to a severe and classical style of art4 ,it was the nineteenth century with its principle of universal education1 newspapers1 books and manifold publications1 that brought about the great change4 ,texture constitutes to most collectors the principal charm of the graphic arts4 ,it is a rare and fantastic valuation1 an appreciation of preciosity1 this occupying oneself with the fascination of the minor arts4 ,art would be too austere if it were not for the makers of etchings and lithographs1 of pastels and water-colours4 ,photography1 the latest arrival in the ranks of the graphic arts1 has the widest range of expression1 and its technique is interesting as far as it can express mechanically and with comparative ease gradations of tone that without visible touches1 marks1 strokes or lines melt imperceptibly into each other4 ,but this smoothness of texture will also be its most formidable drawback4 ,there is no chance for manual expression without destroying the charm of photographic texture4 ,chemistry is the only legitimate means to accomplish it4 ,illustration3 ,,nocturne 7,,lithograph74 ,copper and steel engravings lack that freedom of expression1 and are restricted largely to reproductive purposes4 ,carried out by cross-hatching1 they are limited by the black of the ink and the white of the paper1 and the precise character of the line work4 ,modern reproductive wood engraving1 notably of the ,american school1 is the only medium which has conquered the subtleties of tone4 ,the scale in monochrome painting in colour is so limited that few artists apply it4 ,india ink and sepia1 however1 are much in favour1 and if handled by an artist1 fulfil the requirements of painting4 ,the only short-comings are a certain transparency in the middle tints and an artificial look in the texture4 ,charcoal and chalk have a great similarity1 and also lend themselves to elaborate composition1 although the more delicate and lighter greys are frequently muddy4 ,pen and ink can merely give an impression of line1 and next to etching it is the best medium for sketching1 only a less pliable one1 which is largely due to the unelasticity of the steel pen2 all subtler gradations are left out1 as the brightest tints are lost in the white and the darkest in the black4 ,in lead pencil sketches the lowest tones are grey as compared with black1 and consequently can not produce any decided depth4 ,crayon lithography is capable of producing beautiful soft greys4 ,as the gradations from one tint to another are not continuous1 the texture1 consisting of innumerable minute dots1 does not permit clear uninterrupted line work and even flow of tone4 ,it does not lend itself particularly well to faithful copying from nature4 ,the very character of its granulated line and surface suggests a sketchy and fragmentary treatment4 ,whistler1 who1 with ,fantin-,latour1 shares the honour of the happy revival of artistic lithography1 readily realized this4 ,he laid special stress upon the texture2 its detached shapes creep over the paper like grey moss over a stone4 ,they are all carried out in grey monotonous middle tints but marvellously delicate and subtle in values4 ,superficial but delicious in quality1 his lithographic croquis impress us like the laborious trifles and harmonious bagatelles of a ,herrick4 ,theodore ,duret tells us that ,whistler made his first series of six lithographs during the years #ahgg-gh 7republished in #ahhg by ,boussod ,valadon in ,paris74 ,they were drawn directly on stone1 contrary to his later method1 when he used transfer paper almost exclusively4 ,they were rather large in size1 and resembled his painted nocturnes in general treatment4 ,this is particularly the case with his ,view on the ,thames1 the most beautiful print of the series4 ,i do not believe that these representations were of particular importance1 as they contradict his own theory4 ,what can be and has been perfectly expressed in one medium1 can not reach equal perfection in another medium4 ,it was really nothing but a translation of a painted nocturne into black and white4 ,the essential charm of a ,whistler nocturne consists of colour4 ,black and white can convey only a vague idea of vibrancy4 ,when ,whistler took up lithographing for the second time in #ahhe-hf1 he had become thoroughly familiar with his medium4 ,he no longer worked on the stone1 and abandoned all elaborate finished compositions4 ,his motifs are sketchy little figure studies1 street scenes1 portraits and occasionally a nude or semi-nude like his ,dancing ,girl in fluttering drapery4 ,the printing he entrusted to a lithograph printer in ,london1 ,thomas ,way by name1 who was somewhat of an artist himself and consequently better equipped than the ordinary pressman to do justice to ,whistler's vague fancies4 ,frequently ,whistler took a hand in the printing1 or at least made corrections4 ,printer ,way told ,mr4 ,wedmore1 with reference to the sometimes disputed matter of the transfer paper1 that even when the artist drew on that in the first instance1 and saw in proofs things that were lacking or things that were exaggerated1 he would make his correction upon the stone itself1 and so1 of certain of his lithographs--his later ones especially--he produced different 'states1' though it was not easy to expressly define them1 and though these differences were1 of course1 but the exceptions1 and whereas very often1 though of course not always in etchings--,whistler's or other peoples'--the earlier state is finer than the later2 in these lithographs1 generally speaking1 the later state is finer than the earlier4 ,whistler's lithographs can easily be classified according to the subjects they represent4 ,during the years ,whistler lived in ,paris he depicted views and scenes of the city like the ,pantheon1 ,the ,grand ,gallery of the ,louvre1 ,the ,luxembourg ,gardens and interesting types like ,la belle ,new ,yorkaise and ,la belle ,dame ,paresseuse4 ,one print1 ,les ,confidences dans le ,jardin1 depicts two gossiping women in the garden of his house in the rue du ,bac4 ,his ,london subjects are equally numerous4 ,in #ahie1 when he painted ,the ,master ,smith and the ,little ,rose of ,lyme ,regis1 while at a watering place in ,dorsetshire he made several sketches of the picturesque streets of the old town4 ,of particular charm are his ,early ,morning 7a view of the ,thames from his ,chelsea window7 and ,the ,locksmith of the ,dragon ,square4 ,in #ahhf1 during an illness of his wife1 he lived in the ,surrey ,hotel and executed a number of panoramic views of the ,strand1 the ,thames with its river traffic1 the quays1 ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral and bird-eye views of ,london streets4 ,illustration3 ,boston ,museum of ,fine ,arts ,,little ,,rose ,,of ,,lyme ,,regis4 ,all these designs are beautifully enveloped in a misty atmosphere4 ,the paper is used as a value as important as the grey lines of the crayon1 and the forms are softened as if broken by light and generally massed in an unsymmetrical fashion4 ,some of the portrait sketches are superb1 in particular that of ,stphane ,mallarm1 who was ,whistler's life-long friend and one of his staunchest supporters4 ,it was largely due to ,mallarm that the ,portrait of the ,artist's ,mother found a home in the ,luxembourg4 ,he also translated the ,ten ,o'clock into ,french4 ,whistler's sketch of the poet appeared on the front of the ,parisian edition of ,vers et ,prose 7#ahic74 ,it is apparently hurriedly dashed off1 but the result of many careful studies and experiments4 ,it is a mere fragment1 negligent1 disdainful2 but how knowingly made1 and how characteristic of the poet's personality6 ,despite its vagueness it is a likeness1 and preferable1 to me at least1 who was fortunate to know ,mallarm in the early eighties1 to most portraits made of him4 ,whistler never surpassed this particular effort1 although his portraits of ,joseph ,pennell1 ,mrs4 ,pennell1 ,walter ,sickert1 ,w4 ,e4 ,henley and his wife1 ,miss ,philip and ,comte ,montesquieu are excellent character studies4 ,way published in #ahif a catalogue of #acj lithographs4 ,later additions probably increase the number to #aej4 ,the ,london ,fine ,arts ,society held in #ahie a special sale of #ge lithographs4 ,the ,grolier ,club of ,new ,york in #aijj held an exhibition of #ajf prints4 ,his nudes are charming little inventions in pose and gesture with considerable knowledge of the human figure4 ,in the ,society exhibition of #ahhe he exhibited a nude entitled ,caprice4 ,a ,r4 ,a4 ,horsley took exception to it1 and in a lecture before a ,church ,congress1 after indulging in most curious1 pedantic and medival arguments1 ended with the following tirade3 ,is not clothedness a distinct type and feature of our ,christian faith8 ,all art representations of nakedness are out of harmony with it4 ,illustration3 ,,study ,,of ,,nude ,,figure 7,,chalk ,,drawing74 ,whistler1 ever ready to take up the cudgel1 avenged himself by writing under the picture3 ,horsley soit qui mal y pense1 and leaving it there during the entire exhibition4 ,strange1 that ,whistler never attempted to paint a large nude in oil4 ,he1 no doubt1 had a reason for this omission1 although it is nowhere recorded4 ,perhaps he agreed on the point with ,ruskin that a realistic nude had no place in modern life1 not for any moral reason but merely that the human body was too defective to allow the highest sthetic gratification4 ,a figure in modern garb is a part of modern life1 a nude is an alien in space without any special significance4 ,this should have appealed to ,whistler2 perhaps he strove hard to realize it but never succeeded in doing so4 ,his lithographs and pastels of nudes seem largely experimental4 ,they never go beyond the sketch and vaguely remind one of ,tanagra figures4 ,the ,model ,resting1 and ,the ,little ,nude ,reading1 a profile view of a young girl sitting in bed holding with both hands a book1 are two of the best known4 ,whistler also made a few attempts in coloured lithography1 as for instance1 ,la ,maison ,jaune4 ,but it is hardly coloured lithography1 it is merely a black and white design with a few touches of colour1 as expressed in ,a ,lannion or the ,maison ,rouge ,paimpol1 the result of an excursion to ,brittany4 ,perhaps the most exquisite and delicate of his efforts are these slight delicate renderings of female forms4 ,when he adds a little colour it is always done with rare preciosity1 the un-finish always being masterly4 ,and there is such a thing as masterly un-finish always being just at the right spot as there is merit in the masterly inactivity of a ,russian general opposing an invading army4 ,the very essence of ,whistler's art is to be seen in these coloured drawings4 ,of peculiar charm are ,whistler's pastels4 ,the majority1 some fifty which he exhibited in the ,london ,fine ,arts ,society in #ahhj1 depict ,venetian scenes4 ,they were catalogued as harmonies in blue and browns1 in opal and turquoise1 etc4 ,they show a rare elegance of design and a peculiar suavity of colour4 ,they are the last remnants of his early period of vivid colouring1 and are highly valued4 ,they represent canals with draped gondolas1 views from the lagoons with ships at anchor1 archways1 and white churches1 the cemetery with green trees1 lights gleaming on the distant shore and reflections in the water4 ,his figures in pastels are mostly young girls1 semi-nude or in quaintly coloured robes1 frequently in pink and red against vague backgrounds4 ,whistler's virtuosity in these sketches and pictorial fragments is entirely different from the so-called impressionist's work4 ,it is primarily full of imagination1 of a high mental tone and dignity4 ,whistler has shown how noble an aspect can be given to the expression of an extremist1 for he also was an extremist4 ,he perfectly realized that aggressive sketchiness can never be monumental1 that sketches are merely gymnastic exercises that lend health and strength to a painter's technique1 although they remain to the end merely exercises4 ,at the same time1 if rightly handled1 they express certain sthetic aspects of life better than more elaborate efforts4 ,he knew what a sketch could and could not convey1 and the wonderful freshness and spontaneity which they exhibit are witness alike to the clear crispness of his perception and to his sympathetic handling4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,th4 ,r4 ,way ,,pastel ,,study4 ,the only medium in which ,whistler expressed himself without adding a decided note to individuality of execution1 are his water colours4 ,they have an easy flow1 but the areas of surface seem too large for the slight treatment4 ,the meaning of the motifs seems to be dissipated4 ,they represent mostly street scenes1 country views1 the seashore and marines1 charmingly translucent1 but without suggesting a style1 that developed the medium according to its resources4 ,but whatever ,whistler did was interesting4 ,it is difficult to imagine a more delightful pastime than to look over a collection of his pastels1 lithographs and aquarelles4 ,they are carried out lightly1 but with true touches of genius and joyous mystifying excursions into the dreamland of pictorial fancy1 quite in the ,whistlerian manner4 ,no one1 ,i think1 quite so well fulfilled ,whistler's own theory that an artist should see nature through the spiritual eye of an individual4 ,few painters were such frank interpreters of their own intimate moods4 ,aside of all these works on record ,whistler has scattered through the world countless scraps of drawings1 themselves amply sufficient to make an artist's reputation4 ,what a precious document we should have if their author were able to-day to give a list1 as certain artists have done1 a kind of ,liber veritatis of all the studies he has made and disseminated6 ,but he has flung them far and wide1 as the plum tree scatters its blossoms in approaching spring4 ,,chapter ,x ,,whistler',s ,,iconoclasm ,it would be difficult to find in the whole history of art writing another case of a pamphleteer who became as famous with a few manuscripts as ,whistler4 ,both the ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies1 edited by ,sheridan ,ford1 and published in #ahij by ,william ,heineman1 ,london2 ,frederick ,stokes ,co41 ,new ,york2 and ,delabrosse ,co41 all in the same year1 and ,the ,ten ,o'clock1 delivered in ,london1 ,february1 #ahhe2 in ,cambridge1 ,march #bdth2 and ,oxford1 ,april #cjth of the following year1 and published in #ahhh1 created a sensation4 ,they scarcely embrace five thousand words of reading matter4 ,whistler's diction was exceedingly terse and poignant and he managed to say1 or at least to suggest to intelligent minds1 in a few words a phrase or maxim1 which would exact from more sluggish pens page after page of argument4 ,of course1 his letters and replies to critics were written largely for effect4 ,a well turned phrase was to him the ideal of diction and no doubt he rewrote every sentence a dozen times before he allowed it to go out to the public4 ,it was to him a part--and a most serious part--of his profession4 ,and whenever he did not deal with personalities and approached the technical principle on which his practice as artist was based1 as in his propositions1 his observations and theories became lucid and convincing4 ,read his reply to the criticism which was caused by the withdrawal of two members from the ,society of the ,british ,artists1 who left voluntarily knowing that changes of policy were inevitable under the presidency of ,whistler4 ,the attack in the ,london ,daily ,news ended as follows3 ,it will be for the patrons of the ,suffolk-street ,gallery to decide whether the more than half-uncovered walls which will be offered to their view next week are more interesting than the work of many artists of more than average merit which will be conspicuous by its absence1 owing to the selfish policy inaugurated4 7,signed7 ,a ,,british ,,artist4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,howard ,mansfield ,,archway1 ,,venice 7,,pastel74 ,whistler answered3 ,far from me to propose to penetrate the motives of such withdrawal1 but what ,i do deny was that it could possibly be caused--as its strangely late announcement seemed sweetly to insinuate--by the strong determination to tolerate no longer the mediocre work that had hitherto habitually swarmed the walls of the ,suffolk-street4 ,this is a plain question of date1 and ,i pointed out that these two gentlemen left the ,society six months ago--long before the supervising committee were called upon to act at all1 or make any demonstration whatever4 ,your correspondent regrets that ,i do not 'go further1' and straightway goes further himself1 and scarcely fares better1 when1 with a quaintness of naivet rare at this moment1 he proposes that 'it will be for the patrons of the gallery to decide whether the more than half-covered walls are more interesting than the works of many artists of more than the average merit4' ,now it will be for the patrons to decide absolutely nothing4 ,it is1 and will always be1 for the gentlemen of the hanging committee alone1 duly chosen1 to decide whether empty space be preferable to poor pictures--whether1 in short1 it be their duty to cover walls1 merely that walls may be covered--no matter with what quality of work4 ,indeed the period of the patron has utterly passed away1 and the painter takes his place--to point out what he knows to be consistent with the demands of his art--without deference to patrons or prejudice to party4 ,beyond this1 whether the 'policy of ,mr4 ,whistler and his following' be 'selfish or no1' matters but little2 but if the policy of your correspondent's 'following' find itself among the ruthlessly rejected1 his letter is more readily explained4 ,this is some logic and delicious sarcasm4 ,it is to the point and there is nothing unpleasant in the entire argument4 ,his art challenges and explanations always impress us in that manner4 ,that is why his art lecture1 if it may be passed as such--it is exceedingly short as art lectures go--is so much more valuable as a literary document than his collected letters1 though the latter are more amusing1 and give perhaps a better insight into the author's personality4 ,it is a concise rsum of modern art1 not only the exploitation of one man's ideas1 but rather a set of theories which reflect the thoughts of most of the younger and modern painters4 ,it is written in a subjective way but the impression derived therefrom is objective4 ,whistler was one of the few great representatives of modern art1 and if such a man has the gift to express his idea in a clear manner1 a gift which most painters lack1 he will necessarily reflect the aspirations of his contemporaries4 ,as a piece of literature aside from the idea conveyed in it1 ,i would compare it to ,fromentin's ,le ,desert1 a charming treatise on colour and atmosphere1 but as soon as it treats the more serious problems of art it becomes of deeper significance1 and ,i1 for my part1 would not hesitate to mention it in the same breath with ,lessing's ,laokoon4 ,it has neither the dignity nor logical sequence of the ,hamburgh philosopher1 but the statements in it are more important1 or at least1 more significant to us than any theories of the ,german critic4 ,i do not know of any book which is more reflective of modern art than ,whistler's ,ten ,o',clock4 ,it filled a big gap1 and its influence on the reasoning power 7which1 true enough1 is small in many instances7 of the modern painter has been far-reaching4 ,illustration3 ,owned by ,howard ,mansfield ,,the ,,japanese ,,dress 7,,pastel74 ,whistler's literary activity began about #ahfc1 when he lived in ,linsey ,row1 ,london4 ,his pictures had been rejected from several leading ,london and ,paris exhibitions1 and1 finally1 when he succeeded in exhibiting his ,woman in ,white at the ,berner ,street ,galleries1 during the spring months of #ahfb 7before sending it to ,paris71 it called forth a storm of derision and ridicule4 ,his answer to a most silly criticism in the ,athenum1 that the face of his ,woman in ,white was well done1 but that it was not that of ,mr4 ,wilkie ,collins' heroine was his first attempt at repudiation4 ,it was as follows3 ,may ,i beg to correct an erroneous impression likely to be confirmed by a paragraph in your last number8 ,the ,berner ,street ,galleries have1 without my sanction1 called my picture the ',woman in ,white4' ,i had no intentions whatsoever of illustrating ,mr4 ,wilkie ,collins' novel2 it so happens1 indeed1 that ,i have never read it4 ,my painting simply represents a girl in white standing in front of a white curtain4 ,i am1 ,,james ,,whistler4 ,the reply1 in my mind1 is rather commonplace4 ,it has1 as yet1 nothing of ,whistler's fine sarcasm and finished style4 ,almost anybody could have written it4 ,the attitude of a critic to accept something as a starting point1 and then to criticize a picture from that point1 is such a commonplace occurrence that it was hardly worth answering4 ,also his second literary attempt1 more than ten years later1 when he objected to having one of his pictures called ,the ,yacht ,race3 ,a symphony in ,b sharp1 had little merit except that of indignation4 ,whistler was an iconoclast1 as fanatic as any1 when problems of art were in question1 but his image-breaking was always indirect1 inverted as it were2 he defended his position by asserting his own beliefs4 ,he1 no doubt1 was prompted by his own deep-rooted convictions1 but the stimulant of his literary activity was never based on didacticism3 to bring out an idea because it was a great truth and ought to be brought out4 ,the stimulant for his utterances was always personal anger1 irritation and wrath4 ,he fought for himself and his art1 but not for others4 ,he was one of the greatest egotists that ever lived4 ,whenever he felt hurt at some injustice and stupidity he had to set it aright1 no matter at what cost1 to his own satisfaction4 ,it was not before he was forty-four that he took up letter writing seriously4 ,in one of his earliest answers he is seen at his best2 it was written as early as #ahfg but never published until #ahhg1 when it appeared in the ,art ,journal4 ,somebody had found fault with him calling one of his pictures ,a ,symphony in ,white1 because one of the girls had reddish hair2 and a yellow dress1 a blue ribbon and a blue fan had been introduced into a white tonality4 ,he replied in his vigorous fashion3 ,can anything be more amazing than the stultified prattle of this poor person8 ,not precisely a symphony in white 444 for there is a yellowish dress 444 brown hair 444 and of course there is the flesh colour of the complexions4 ,bon ,dieu6 ,did this creature expect white hair and chalked faces8 ,and does he then in his astounding wisdom believe that a symphony in ,f contains no other note1 but a continued repetition of ,f1 ,f1 ,f1 ,f1 ,f8444 ,fool6 ,,james ,,whistler4 ,in this letter he took the right attitude1 that of the fighter1 who1 with a few penstrokes1 annihilated the foolishness of his opponents4 ,if all his feuds had been of this character1 no objection would have been raised to them4 ,alas1 he did things1 frequently1 merely to pose as a wit1 to say something that would make ,london society laugh1 caring little in how malicious and vituperative a manner he would couch his words4 ,even when he was wrong and knew that he was wrong he would fight1 as in the ,caf ,orientale incident4 ,a correspondent of the ,world attacked the title1 stating that it had an e too many for ,french1 and an f too few for ,italian4 ,whistler does not attempt to justify his orthographical error1 but1 by telling an anecdote1 endeavours to ridicule all criticism which pretends to such accuracy4 ,it is cleverly told1 but after all it is silly4 ,nearly all his friends1 sooner or later1 were forced into crossing swords with him4 ,the list is a long one and embraces many well-known names4 ,he fought with his brother-in-law1 ,f4 ,seymour ,haden1 because he had admired ,frank ,duveneck's etchings and mistaken them for ,whistler's4 ,he advised ,harry ,quilter1 an art writer1 his bitterest enemy1 to employ his sense of smell in preference to his eyesight2 he calls the art critic ,p4 ,g4 ,hamerton1 a certain ,mr4 ,hamerton4 ,he wrangled with ,sir ,william ,eden and even his friend ,leyland about the price for ordered pictures1 in each case making the whole transaction public2 he attacked ,tom ,taylor and ,f4 ,wedmore for misquotations in their writings 7he who had been guilty of the same thing himself71 he quarrelled with the ,academy when they repainted an old sign of his1 the famous ,lion and ,butterfly wrangle2 and wrote most insulting letters to ,wyke ,bayliss1 who has succeeded him in the presidency4 ,he withdrew all his pictures from the ,paris ,exposition1 because the ,american colonel1 ,c4 ,r4 ,hawkins1 had refused a few of his etchings in a rather impolite manner4 ,the real reason was lack of space1 and one could hardly expect from an ,american colonel the manners of a ,chesterfield4 ,surely1 ,whistler did not possess them himself4 ,he1 at all times1 practised more manner than manners1 his language had at times an irritating touch of rudeness and coarseness4 ,the feuds were endless4 ,he continually baited his fellow artists4 ,he called the pre-,raphaelites ,what a damn crew4 ,legros1 ,val ,prinsep1 ,w4 ,p4 ,frith1 ,sir ,frederick ,leighton and ,dante ,gabriel ,rossetti1 were at one time or another recipients4 ,everybody who came in contact with him1 ,william ,m4 ,chase1 the masher of the ,avenues1 ,theodore ,child1 who had to bear the brunt of a pun on his name1 etc41 all have some queer experiences to tell about him4 ,george ,moore1 who had stood so gallantly by ,whistler's side1 was thrown over without much ado as soon as he remained neutral1 and did not join the front ranks of the fighting host in the ,sir ,william ,eden episode4 ,swinburne did not fare better2 nor his friend ,stott of ,oldham1 on whom he had passed such exaggerated eulogies in the beginning of his career4 ,even his oldest friend and supporter1 ,kennedy1 the picture dealer1 was finally bespattered with the mud of ,whistler's invectives4 ,his bon mots and repartee in ordinary life were as significant as those in his pamphlets1 letters and catalogues4 ,we all remember his ,why drag in ,velasquez6 his ,goodness gracious6 you don't fancy a man owns a picture because he bought it1 or ,indeed6 it is not every man in ,england ,i paint for4 ,then again talking about ,leighton1 ,yes1 and he paints too4 ,in meeting ,du ,maurier and ,wilde at one of the exhibitions ,whistler burst forth3 ,i say1 which one of you invented the other1 eh6 ,the famous repartee1 ,whistler3--,nature's creeping up4 ,oscar ,wilde3 ,heavens1 ,i wish ,i had said that6 ,you will1 dryly replied ,whistler4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy of the ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york ,,mr4 ,,kennedy3 ,,portrait ,,study4 ,most of his adversaries were smaller men or1 at any rate1 lacked the faculty of repartee1 and for a witty man it was easy enough to mock them out of existence4 ,only ,oscar ,wilde1 who himself made a profession of scattering corrosive epigrams1 occasionally got the best of him4 ,his sarcastic remark1 ,with our ,james1 vulgarity begins at home2 would that it might stop there1 was one of the sentences that made ,whistler lay aside his pen for a while and ponder on reciprocity4 ,the famous ,whistler v4 ,ruskin libel suit was gotten up1 ,i believe1 largely for effect4 ,it happened naturally enough1 but ,whistler made the most of it4 ,and1 from the press agent's point of view1 it was the opportunity of a life time4 ,in #ahgg ,sir ,coutts ,lindsey had organized an independent gallery in opposition to the ,london ,royal ,academy4 ,among the exhibitors were ,burne-,jones1 ,millais1 ,leighton and ,whistler4 ,the works of the pre-,raphaelites were praised but ,whistler's nocturnes were ignored or sneered at4 ,he perhaps would have taken no notice of the ordinary criticisms1 but when ,john ,ruskin1 who then was in the prime of his fame1 wrote in his ,fors ,clavigera1 an art publication1 a short and most obtrusive paragraph about the pictures1 he put on his paint and feathers once more and went on the war path4 ,it is incredible how a man like ,ruskin could have ever been so bitter and pedantic1 to write the following paragraph3 ,lastly the mannerisms and errors of these pictures 7by ,burne-,jones71 whatever may be their extent1 are never affected or indolent4 ,their work is natural to the painter1 however strange to us2 and it is wrought with utmost conscience of care1 however far1 to his own or our desire1 the result may be yet incomplete4 ,scarcely so much can be said for any other pictures of the modern school2 their eccentricities are most always in some degree forced1 and their imperfections gratuitously1 if not impertinently indulged4 ,for ,mr4 ,whistler's sake1 no less than for the protection of the purchasers1 ,sir ,coutts ,lindsey ought not to have admitted works into the gallery in which the ill-educated conceit of the artist so nearly approached the aspect of the wilful imposture4 ,i have seen1 and heard1 much of cockney impudence before now2 but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face4 ,,john ,,ruskin4 ,the suit went to trial before ,judge ,huddleston and a special jury1 ,november #beth1 #ahgh1 and ,whistler won the case1 although one farthing damages were allowed him4 ,he published a small brown covered paper pamphlet3 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin--,art and ,art ,critics1 the same year4 ,not satisfied with his scant victory1 he endeavoured to strike back at his still powerful adversary by publishing a hodge-podge rsum of ,ruskin's writings and deliberately stringing together a number of well known sentences in such a way that they have no connection whatever4 ,all this is amusing but smacks of the mountebank4 ,the ,mortimer ,menpes incident shows a different side of his nature4 ,it was a controversy as to who was the father of the decorative revolution1 ,menpes or ,whistler4 ,intensely sympathetic with the work of ,japan's great painters and craftsmen1 ,menpes' impressions of her cities1 temples1 shrines1 theatres1 gardens1 and museums1 received during a few months' stay in that land of delight1 are worthy of consideration1 but he had no claim to the decorative innovation1 not even to the pink hue of his house1 as ,whistler had mixed the colour himself one summer afternoon1 when ,menpes was still his pupil4 ,when a dispute was of real importance ,whistler was apt to ignore it entirely1 and let others fight it out for him4 ,it was too serious a matter for exchange of witty remarks4 ,this shows that ,whistler1 at times1 realized the value of silence4 ,even as there were friends and acquaintances and associates with whom he never quarrelled1 he liked ,carlo ,pelligrini to the very end4 ,he never picked a quarrel with ,sarasate1 nor with the ,comte ,montesquieu1 though most people did4 ,charles ,keene1 the caricaturist1 never writhed under ,whistler's strong arm4 ,even ,sheridan ,ford came out unscathed1 although they were never on terms of commonplace amity and acquiescence4 ,nor did ever his ,american acquaintances advance to warm personal friends4 ,h4 ,w4 ,singer says in his little monograph that ,perhaps ,whistler's human soul was occupied by a double portion of malice1 invidiousness and pettiness1 so that his artistic spirit might be entirely free and unfettered in its greatness4 ,as good an explanation as many others4 ,he wrote down those records he thought important as did ,casanova his amours and ,cellini his assassinations and1 collected into a book1 they form a sort of autobiography to those who can read between the lines4 ,he had a way1 as ,pennell tells us1 half-laughing1 half-serious1 of calling it his ,bible4 ,well1 you know1 you have only to look1 and there it all is in the ,bible1 or ,i am afraid you do not know the ,bible as you should1 he would reply to some question about his work or his experiences as an artist4 ,as remarked previously1 his attacks were remarkably free from all personal and domestic references1 they referred solely to art transactions related to the profession4 ,whistler was an artist1 and naturally over-sensitive4 ,he could not help being impatient of criticisms that utterly failed to see the aim of his work1 sometimes praising him for qualities a painter would blush to possess and again heaping unmerited blame on admirable achievements4 ,things really irritated him and he worked himself into a white fury1 often over nothing4 ,later on his love for notoriety and his pose made him exaggerate the importance of events4 ,as in the case of every master1 there were1 of course1 followers and disciples4 ,to these1 the master held forth1 now instilling a principle of art1 now relating an encounter with this or that critic4 ,mr4 ,menpes speaks quite truthfully when he says3 ,all the same1 he was one of the true fearless champions that art ever had1 he fought with the dignity of the artist1 demanded consideration and courteous treatment1 and upheld dignity of workmanship1 never tired of exposing and exploiting the ignorance of the average press critic4 ,the real ,whistler1 then1 as his closest friends saw him1 was an impulsive1 quixotic1 erratic1 if you like1 but1 above and beyond everything else1 an artist of indisputable genius who fought a losing battle for a quarter of a century2 jested through it all1 and finally triumphed magnificently4 ,his minor accomplishments were illumined by the flare of newspaper polemics2 his greater and nobler qualities were too often obscured by the lack of comprehension4 ,yet there were times when ,whistler gave of his best simply and sincerely to all who had the perception to receive his gift4 ,such an occasion was that on which he delivered for the first time his immortal lecture on art1 ,ten ,o',clock4 ,he chose this title because he did not want the people to rush to him from the dinner table1 as to the theatre4 ,ten o'clock was early enough4 ,the audience and critics who greeted him in ,prince's ,hall1 ,london1 on that never to be forgotten occasion1 were puzzled by what they chose to regard as ,whistler's new pose4 ,as a matter of fact1 he was not posing at all1 but had called them to him that he might impart to them1 out of his very heart1 the standard of artistic faith by which his life was ruled4 ,it was a revolt not so much against the conclusions of modern paintings nor a plea for ,japanese art 7he does not mention ,japan except once in the beautiful final sentence3 ,the story of the beautiful is already complete1 hewn in the marble of ,parthenon--and broidered1 with the birds1 upon the fan of ,hokusai at the foot of ,fusiyama7 as against the pedantic and realistic methods in art1 a fierce crusade for the ideals of painting4 ,his style is virile1 individual1 marvellously condensed and suggestive4 ,it contains a number of beautifully put phrases like3 ,art happens--no hovel is safe1 no prince can depend upon it4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lime ,,burner 7,,etching74 ,colours are not more since the heavy hangings of night were first drawn aside1 and the loveliness of night revealed4 ,if art be rare to-day it is seldom heretofore4 ,in these aphorisms he puts his finger on the secret of literary expression--the application of the simplest and subtlest means to the most complicated and inexistent subject4 ,paragraphs as the following must excite the admiration of every literary man4 ,alas6 ladies and gentlemen1 ,art has been maligned4 ,she has naught in common with such practices4 ,she is a goddess of dainty thought--reticent of habit1 abjuring all obtrusiveness1 purposing in no way to better others4 ,she is1 withal1 selfishly occupied with her own perfection only--having no desire to teach--seeking and finding the beautiful in all conditions and at all times as did her priest ,rembrandt1 when he saw picturesque grandeur and noble dignity in the ,jews' quarter of ,amsterdam1 and lamented not that its inhabitants were not ,greeks4 ,or again3 ,humanity takes the place of art1 and ,god's creations are excused by their usefulness4 ,beauty is confounded with virtue and1 before a work of art1 it is asked3 ',what good shall it do8' ,hence it is that nobility of action in his life is hopelessly linked with the merit of the work that portrays it2 and thus the people have acquired the habit of looking1 as who should say1 not at a picture1 but through it1 at some human fact1 that shall1 not from a social point of view1 better their mental or moral state4 ,so we have come to hear of the painting that elevates1 and the duty of the painter--of the picture that is full of thought and of the panel that merely decorates4 ,whistler fought principally for three big ideas3 ,that the main object of painting was to express the beauty of the technical medium unalloyed by any exterior motive1 independent of time and place4 ,that art was not restricted to any special locality1 but universal1 cosmopolitan4 ,that art could be understood only by the artist and that all criticism consequently was futile occupation4 ,all these arguments have sifted down into the rank and file of the profession1 they have become common property and are continually used in the every-day conversations of artists4 ,they are all three open to criticism1 and in a way 7like all things1 according to ,walt ,whitman7 have done as much harm as good4 ,that the main object of art is art1 cannot be confuted4 ,but what is art in painting6 ,is all poetry and sentiment in a painting to be expressed by the actual handling of the colours1 the process of handling and the mechanism of brushwork6 ,can all the poetry be contained in the objects themselves and the way they are painted8 ,it has become the fashion of artists to say that they are painters1 not artists4 ,now what do they mean by this8 ,what is a painter8 ,a person who can handle the brush and who knows colour1 or1 in other words1 who masters the tool of his trade4 ,and what is an artist8 ,the term artist is not limited to one profession4 ,it applies to a musician or a sculptor as well as painter4 ,in calling somebody an artist we mean to convey that he has a poetic conception in his work4 ,but he must surely possess an equal mastery of technique or he would be unable to express it4 ,and is the painter absolutely void of poetic conception8 ,surely not4 ,he tries to get the poetry out of the medium itself1 while the artist adds something from the outside to the medium4 ,in that sense ,abbott ,thayer1 ,ryder and ,inness are artists1 ,sargent and ,chase are painters4 ,but how about ,chavannes1 ,whistler1 ,israels8 ,i suppose they are both4 ,there we are in a dilemma4 ,they oppose subject painting2 the beauty of the object1 the poetry that is inherent in what they see before them1 is supposed to be sufficient4 ,but they object to the phrase that they are merely interested in surface beauty1 they assert that they search for character and the inner meaning of things as much as anybody else4 ,in this they contradict their own and ,whistler's argument4 ,whistler himself was all his life a subject painter4 ,of course he has avoided telling stories1 but he has suggested them1 and given to each picture that vague note of interest which every true painting should possess4 ,the main purpose is to make the picture more interesting4 ,and you cannot make a picture more interesting without adding something4 ,painting for painting's sake is an impossibility4 ,one cannot translate nature and life into colour without the help of the imagination4 ,a little more or less1 what is the difference8 ,the second claim1 that all art is cosmopolitan1 has been welcomed by all our ex-patriots1 who have neither the strength nor the inclination to discover virgin material in their own country and to translate it into beauty4 ,it furnishes a marvellous loop-hole for the imitative talent4 ,whistler said3 ,there is no such thing as ,english art--art is art when it is good enough4 ,this is at its best merely a truism4 ,we perfectly agree that only good workmanship makes a painting worthy of the name of art1 but surely ,hogarth1 ,gainsborough and ,constable have a true native flavour in their work1 which they could have gained nowhere but on ,british soil4 ,all art1 when perfect1 can command universal appreciation1 but it is perfect in most instances only when it has1 perhaps not so much a local interest1 but a local motive or stimulant1 i4 e4 it must have inhaled the atmosphere of some peculiar locality and the faculty to exude it again4 ,i believe1 ,whistler used his argument largely as a subterfuge1 to hide his own enthusiasm for ,japanese art4 ,he understood how to amalgamate the foreign influences and his own individuality 7this ,i have analyzed at length in some other chapter74 ,his art in a sense was cosmopolitan1 but merely because he was the first to adopt the new principles of an ,eastern art2 and it is just as easy to trace ,american as ,japanese or ,old ,master traits in his work4 ,i claim that all great art is local1 and mention only three of the greatest painters1 ,velasquez1 ,rembrandt1 and ,drer1 to prove my argument4 ,they surely were imbued with the spirit of their time and country4 ,and ,i am equally certain that a painter who would express ,america as it is to-day 7as ,whitman has done in his time in literature7 would be a greater man than ,whistler4 ,the foremost masters of the nineteenth century1 ,monet1 ,manet1 ,chavannes1 and ,whistler1 were all innovators in technical problems1 for they discovered new mediums of expression1 and1 in a way1 only prepared the way for more concentrated expressions of art4 ,the third great theory of the essay1 which consists largely of ,whistler's arrogant assertions as to the superiority of the artist and his own hatred for so called connoisseur1 dilettante1 and critic1 has made a very proud man of the painter4 ,imagine an ordinary wielder of the brush reading the following sentence3 ,vulgarity--under whose fascinating influence 'the many' have elbowed 'the few1' and the gentle circle of ,art swarms with the intoxicated mob of mediocrity1 whose leaders prate and counsel1 and call aloud1 where the gods once spoke in whispers4 ,and now from their midst the dilettante stalks abroad4 ,the amateur is loosed4 ,the voice of the sthetic is heard in the land1 and the catastrophe is upon us4 ,the artist in fulness of heart and head is glad1 and laughs aloud1 and is happy in his strength1 and is merry at the pompous pretension--the solemn stillness that surrounds him4 ,whistler lashed himself into the belief that he was the sole judge of his work4 ,this is a very erroneous attitude4 ,creation is an unconscious process4 ,few artists have the critical faculty to analyze their work1 and years pass before he is able to get a clear view of his own work4 ,if we were an art-loving nation things would be different1 but interest in painting has become a privilege of the rich and of museums2 it is too remote to be considered an immediate pleasure4 ,it needs some kind intermediator to bring about more sympathy between the public and the artist4 ,what writers1 who can write and to whom the smell of paint is not unfamiliar1 see in a picture1 is one thing4 ,what a painter desires to express is an entirely different proposition1 but this is no reason to find fault with the writer4 ,what he says may be explanatory and interesting4 ,a work of art is made to arouse sensations1 pure or sthetic1 emotions and vagrant thoughts1 and they will differ vastly in every beholder4 ,this may be beyond the pale of unattached writers and gentlemen clerks of collections and appointed preachers1 into which ,whistler has divided the critics1 but there is no argument necessary to make any reader believe that authors like ,hawthorne1 the ,goncourts1 ,guy de ,maupassant1 ,paul ,heyse1 ,mallarm1 knew how to write about art4 ,whistler also laughed at the pretence of the state as a fosterer of art4 ,in this he was right4 ,art can not be forced upon a community4 ,it is a matter of individual appreciation4 ,it is a matter of conquest4 ,but this is1 after all1 a busy world we are living in1 and unless things are pointed out to us we may overlook them or not even learn of their existence1 no matter how hungry we may be for new sensations4 ,and that is the crucial point where the art writer may prove useful4 ,the majority of artists entertain no kindly feeling towards art writers4 ,in their just anger with critics1 who arrogate to themselves the right of telling an artist how he should have done his work1 they forget that the real writer on art1 misnamed critic1 has quite a different aim1 and is their best friend4 ,for he takes upon himself the duty of mediating between artist and public4 ,without him1 we may say1 the true artist is nowhere4 ,true art 7in opposition to commercial work and all vulgar practices to which pictorialism is put7 is a difficult matter to comprehend4 ,when the public1 composed of people whose energy is drained almost to exhaustion by daily associations and occupations1 suddenly encounters a new phase of art1 it can no more formulate a just opinion of it than it could when placed face to face with the tablets of ,karnak and ,sakkarah4 ,just as the electrician in a new invention must explain the working of natural forces1 so must the critic explain the work of the artistic forces which come into play in the production of a picture4 ,most artists have become popular--as far as the true artist can become popular--only after the eyes of the public have been opened by some critic4 ,such artists as find no apostle to proclaim their creed die unattended4 ,many an artist left his family in poverty2 but after his death critics dwelt at length upon the beauties of his pictures1 and only then the public began to pay enormous prices for them4 ,and ,whistler himself6 ,does he not refute his own contempt by his ,barnum-,boulanger-like use of the press8 ,true enough all his little squibs and elaborate bids for notoriety had some underlying truth which he wished to express4 ,but if ever an artist realized the power of type it was ,whistler4 ,as for the ordinary critic--he deserves our deepest sympathy4 ,he proves beyond dispute that there is something rotten in our art appreciation4 ,old ,japan and the ,primitifs knew them not4 ,he is harmless1 however1 as he has absolutely nothing to do with art4 ,he is a necessary evil produced by the shortcomings of the time4 ,anatole ,france's remark about art criticism1 that it should be the adventure of one's soul among masterpieces1 is enough1 but he forgets that the adventure should be the experience of a literary artist4 ,for the only criticism that is lasting is either biographical in tendency or artistic commentary1 which by a new work of art reflects the beauty of the original4 ,if a picture is really beautiful1 one should be able to write a poem about it1 or express it in music1 dancing or some other art4 ,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,of ,,st,,phane ,,mallarm 7,,lithograph74 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,as ,,his ,,friends ,,knew ,,him ,one afternoon in #ahib1 walking along the boulevards with ,stphane ,mallarm1 during absinthe hours1 ,i met ,whistler4 ,the poet and the painter raised their hats and shook hands and exchanged a few words in ,french1 which ,i did not understand4 ,i was introduced1 ,whistler bowed1 shook hands and then we passed on4 ,it was one of those fugitive meetings that occur so frequently and to which no importance can be attached4 ,it gives one the sole and rather futile privilege of having seen ,whistler1 just as ,i have seen ,liszt1 the king of ,bavaria1 ,ibsen and many others1 without having become acquainted with them4 ,i do not remember how ,whistler was dressed1 ,i only recall the top hat1 monocle and cane4 ,he looked rather undersized to me1 a trifle affected1 but exceedingly picturesque1 and possessing that peculiar magnetism which we feel in the presence of great men4 ,as for a more intimate analysis of ,whistler's personality1 ,i must refer to some of his friends1 who have expressed themselves in print4 ,i shall cite a number of paragraphs that have the merit of descriptive verity1 and that will give a clear insight into his curious1 highstrung character1 as it appeared in every-day life4 ,what strikes one in ,whistler's biography1 says ,laurence ,binyon1 the ,london critic and poet1 is the extraordinary amount of time1 trouble and energy he expended on things and people that did not matter1 the record of his squabbles1 the fanatical loyalty of his enmities1 the rage of his 'egotism4' ,this is the ,whistler that the world knew4 ,but there was another ,whistler1 ,mr4 ,binyon suggests1--,a man of singular sensitiveness1 who shunned the vulgar daytime and stole abroad at twilight 444 bent always on revealing to his fellow men the loveliness that lurks in familiar sights and among the dingy aspects of a modern city4 ,one of his earliest intimates who writes of him in ,vanity ,fair1 as one of the ,men of the ,day1 signed ,john ,junior1 says3 ,mr4 ,whistler--',jimmy' as his friends call him--is personally one of the most charming1 simple and witty of men4 ,he touches nothing but he embellishes and enlivens it with startling novelty of conceit4 ,his hereditary lock of white hair is a rallying point of humour wherever he goes1 and his studio is the resort of all who delight in hearing the new thing4 ,the article continues to say that it is evidently not difficult for the newspaper correspondent to approach him1 as much had been written about his charming house and spacious studio in ,chelsea4 ,he was so thoroughly an artist that material seemed indifferent to him4 ,his famous ,peacock ,room1 which he did for ,mr4 ,leyland1 shows his genius as a decorator1 and conservative opinion is1 that he was even greater as an etcher than as a painter4 ,he had engraved1 and painted in water-colours1 of course1 and his attire1 from his top-coat to his shoe strings1 was made from his own designs4 ,apparently he chafed under the academic tyranny of even the tailor4 ,of his powers in mimicry and in character acting his friend never tired of talking and telling anecdotes which illustrate it1 and indicate that even in drollery his art is as subtle as in work of seriousness and dignity4 ,dickens was not a patch on him1 said someone1 recently1 who had seen the pantomiming of both4 ,harper ,pennington1 one of his officially acknowledged pupils1 gives a fine description of the man in the ,metropolitan ,magazine of #aiaj4 ,whistler was not a tall man1 but of trim and muscular appearance1 broad-shouldered1 strong-armed1 and well set up--the result of ,west ,point training4 ,he was intensely active and alert1 although not in the least fidgety or nervous4 ,his eyes were as bright as a bird's1 flashing from face to face in a group of persons4 ,it is noteworthy that he moved his eyes and not his head from side to side1 fixing each speaker in his turn4 ,this may have been another effect of ,west ,point drills--',eyes right1' ',eyes left4' ,his long hands and bony wrists suggested force and delicacy of touch4 ,if he was a trifle robin-legged1 the effect served to enhance a certain dandified attitude he frequently assumed1 especially when chaffing someone who deserved it1 to the delight of the gallery1 without which he seldom thought it worth while to perform4 ,the man was above all things gregarious--he did not like to be alone--and most intensely human4 ,he had his foibles1 faults and virtues like the rest4 ,the ,whistler ,i knew was clean of person and speech4 ,i never heard him utter one word that might not be repeated without offending the most easily shocked of prudes4 ,he has been described as untidy4 ,he was1 on the contrary1 the only man who ever washed his hair three times every day1 and was fastidious to the point of being prinky about his person4 ,his clothes1 generally black1 were always simple in the extreme and spotless1 even when1 in those old ,venice days of dreadful poverty1 they were worn threadbare--actually in holes4 ,his courage was indisputable4 ,he would fight any man1 no matter what size or weight1 and the jaunty cheerfulness with which he bore privations1 when he lacked everything1 even the materials necessary for his work1 deceived those who were his daily companions and sufficiently proved his moral pluck4 ,he wore a black silk ribbon tie at his neck1 a bow with six inch loops and fluttering ends1 but that was all that was unusual in his attire1 unless the long bamboo wands of canes--a dark one for the night and a light for day--should be included4 ,nothing that glittered1 not even a watch-chain or a ring1 formed any part of his costume4 ,a tiny white or yellow flower at his buttonhole was his unique adornment4 ,is it true1 as ,thackeray declared1 that ordinary mortals do1 indeed1 delight to pry into the weakness of the strong1 the smallness of the great8 ,i have thought it best to show my ,whistler as he really was1 a simple1 kind and tender-hearted fellow1 who turned his best side towards the unappreciative world he lived in1 not from vanity of person1 but to hide his poverty1 and the makeshifts he was driven to employ1 as a man will say ',i like to walk1' when he can't afford to ride4 ,his cackling laugh hid many a bitter thrust that had gone home and hurt him to the quick4 ,he laughed1 and then would come the swift riposte of witty repartee4 ,he never attacked a living creature1 never struck the first blow1 and would have been glad to live in peace with all the world4 ,but so coarse were the criticisms of his person and his work that he was driven to defend ,art1 which was the only thing he could not joke about4 ,upon the rare occasions when he talked with me1 as a master might1 about his work1 his face itself seemed transfigured4 ,brave when he was well1 his cowardice when ill or in pain was comical4 ,if he caught cold he would disappear1 and those who knew him well were sure he had fled to his doctor--his brother's house in ,wimpole ,street4 ,dr4 ,whistler told me that ,jimmy would appear all muffled up and say3 ',willie1 ,i am ill6 ,i am going up to bed--here--and won't go home until you've cured me6' ,any little malady was enough to demoralize him4 ,in his hours of weakness he would hide away like a wounded animal and not show up again until he had been nursed back to his normal state4 ,illustration3 ,,arrangement ,,in ,,flesh-,,colour ,,and ,,black3 ,,theodore ,,duret4 ,whistler was extremely frugal and abstemious4 ,he ate and drank most moderately the plainest fare4 ,he liked dainty dishes and rare old wine1 but had a horror of the 'groaning board' at huge set feasts and formal banquets4 ,he could cook quite decently himself1 and sometimes made an omelet or scrambled eggs1 but these culinary feats ,i never saw performed2 as to the ,master's knowledge of wine1 it was very limited indeed4 ,i have seen him mistake a heavy vintage of champagne for ',tisane4' ,i never saw him cook anything1 even in his poorest days1 in ,venice1 but ,i know that he liked a good dinner at a club even when it was punctually served and consisted of quite ordinary delicacies such as other men delight in4 ,the notes from his childhood are rather scarce4 ,in his mother's diary1 written during the stay in ,russia1 we find the following reference to him when he was twelve years old3 444 ,jimmie's eagerness to attain all his desires for information and his fearlessness often make him offend and it makes him appear less amiable than he really is4 ,and at some other place1 when they had watched some parade with the ,empress passing3 ,he behaved like a man4 ,with one compassing arm he guarded me1 and with the other kept people at a proper distance1 and ,i must confer1 brilliant as the spectacle was1 the greatest pleasure was derived by the conduct of my dear and manly boy4 ,miss ,emma ,palmer1 his cousin1 describes ,whistler at this period as tall and slight1 with a pensive1 delicate face1 shaded by soft brown curls4 ,he had a foreign appearance and manners1 which1 added to his natural abilities1 made him very charming even at that age4 ,he was one of the sweetest1 loveliest boys ,i ever knew and was a great favourite4 ,whistler1 as a boy1 was exactly what those who knew him as a man would expect3 gay and bright1 absorbed in his work when that work was in any way related to art1 brave and fearless1 selfish1 if selfishness is another word for ambition1 considerate and kindly above all to his mother4 ,the boy1 like the man1 was delightful to those who knew and understood him1 'startling' and 'alarming' to those who did not4 ,joseph ,pennell1 in his excellent book1 has given us a most fascinating description of ,whistler as a student in ,paris and a young painter in ,england4 ,no one can refuse to admire the loyalty of this writer1 who has gathered with such loving care every note of interest in ,whistler's life4 ,the following paragraphs are from his ,quartier ,latin chapter2 ,to ,whistler the ,frenchman was more sympathetic than the ,english1 in his serious as in his light hours4 ,his fellow students brought back to ,england the impression that he was an idler2 it is hard to-day to make people believe that he was anything else in his youth4 ,and yet he worked in ,paris as prodigiously as he played4 ,to us it is incomprehensible how he found time to read as a student1 and yet he knew the literature of the period thoroughly1 and always the charm of his manner and his courtesy made it delightful to do anything for him4 ,few men ever ate less than ,whistler1 but few were more fastidious about what they did eat--no man ever shrank more from thought1 or at the mention of death than ,whistler4 ,there was always in life so much for him to do and so little time in which to do it4 ,he was popular with the children1 and delighted in music1 though he was not too critical1 for he was known to call the passing hurdy-gurdy into his garden and have it ground under his windows4 ,occasionally the brother 7,greaves7 played1 so that ,whistler might dance4 ,he was always full of drolleries and fun4 ,he would imitate a man sawing1 or two men fighting at the door1 so cleverly that his brother never ceased to be astonished when he walked into the room alone and unhurt4 ,he delighted in ,american mechanical toys and his house was full of ,japanese dolls4 ,one great doll1 dressed like a man1 he would take with him not only to ,greaves1 but to dinners at the ,little ,holland ,house1 where the ,princess then lived1 and to other houses1 where he put it through amazing performances4 ,many notes are quoted from the writings of his associates4 ,here are some of the most interesting of them3 ,mr4 ,luke ,ionides writes3 ,he was a great favourite among us all1 and also among the grisettes we used to meet at the gardens where dancing went on4 ,i remember one especially1 they called her the tigress4 ,she seemed madly in love with ,jimmie and would not allow any other woman to talk to him when she was present4 ,she sat for him several times with her curly hair down her back4 ,she had a good voice and ,i have often thought she suggested ',trilby' to ,du ,maurier4 ,one time in a rage she tore up a lot of drawings1 when ,whistler came home and saw them piled high on the table1 he wept4 ,if ,whistler had money in his pockets1 ,mr4 ,ionides says1 he spent it royally on others4 ,mr4 ,rowley1 ,taffy1 writes3 ,it was in #aheg-h that ,i knew ,whistler1 and a most amusing and eccentric fellow he was1 with his long black thick curly hair and large felt hat with a broad black ribbon around it4 ,i remember on the wall was a representation of him1 ,i believe done by ,du ,maurier1 a sketch of him1 then a fainter one and then finally an interrogation--very clever it was and very much like the original4 ,in those days he did not work hard4 ,whistler was never wholly one of us1 ,mr4 ,armstrong tells us2 ,drouet does not think that ,whistler worked hard1 certainly not in usual student fashion at the schools4 ,he was every evening at the ,students' ball1 and as he never got up until ten or eleven in the morning1 where was the time for work8 ,the personal observations and a glance at one of ,whistler's self-portraits of this period should give us a fair vision of the young ,whistler at ,paris4 ,the earliest known self-portrait in oil is the one painted in ,paris about #ahei1 the ,whistler with a hat1 engraved by ,gurard1 which was lent by ,samuel ,p4 ,avery to the ,memorial ,exhibition at ,boston4 ,it shows him with a slight mustache1 a large ,rubens hat1 a big dotted tie1 and a coat with a velvet collar4 ,it is a good example of a dark silhouette against dark arrangement4 ,the face has a few strong headlights1 the remainder of it in middle tints1 while the rest of the figure--the hat1 the hair1 the bust--are darker than the background4 ,the space arrangement and position of the head are clever1 but the shape of the bust is awkward1 and1 ,i fear slightly contorted4 ,mrs4 ,jameson writes3 ,the man1 as ,i knew him1 was so different from the descriptions and presentations ,i have read of him1 that ,i would like to speak of the other side of his character4 ,it is impossible to conceive a more unfailingly courteous1 considerate and delightful companion than ,whistler as ,i found him1 and ,i never heard a complaint of anything in my simple household arrangements from him4 ,any little failure was treated as a joke4 ,his courtesy to servants and maids was particularly charming1 indeed4 ,i cannot conceive of his quarrelling with any one without provocation4 ,his talk about his own work revealed a very different man to me from the self-satisfied man he is usually believed to have been4 ,he knew his powers1 of course1 but he was painfully aware of his defects--in drawing for instance4 ,to my judgment he was the most absolutely truthful man about himself that ,i ever met4 ,i never knew him to hide an opinion or thought--nor to try to excuse an action4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,unsafe ,,tenement 7,,etching74 ,mr4 ,watts ,denton1 on the other hand1 tries to make us believe that ,dante ,gabriel ,rossetti got exceedingly tired of ,whistler after a while and considered him a brainless fellow1 who had no more than a quick malicious wit at the expense of others1 and no real philosophy or humour4 ,otto ,bacher1 the ,american painter and etcher1 has written a delightful book entitled ,with ,whistler in ,venice4 ,the title is slightly deceptive as the contents are largely an eulogy on the beauties of ,venice4 ,whistler is a mere picturesque incident4 ,bacher describes his friend in this fashion3 ,when he was talking the glass 7monocle7 was dropped4 ,if he sat at one of the tables at the caf the clanging of the eye-glass accentuated his conversation4 ,if he was presented to any one it would drop and dangled to and fro from the neat cord for a few moments1 to be readjusted after some moments of fumbling4 ,his monocle was always a source of entertainment4 ,he generally carried in his hand a ,japanese bamboo cane1 using it to emphasize his remarks4 ,he rose early1 worked strenuously and retired late4 ,he seemed to forget ordinary hours for meals and would often have to be called over and over again4 ,he was a fastidious smoker1 but a continuous one--his choice of words was always a marked feature4 ,his manners were elegant4 ,he would always adapt himself to any situation and1 at the same time1 retain his dignity and personality4 ,another interesting account was furnished in the ,cornhill ,magazine1 #aijc1 by ,mortimer ,menpes3 ,whistler was of all men essentially a purist--a purist in every sense of the word1 both as a man and a worker4 ,as a man he was sadly misunderstood by the masses4 ,whistler's nature was ever a combative one and his long and brilliant career was a continuous fight throughout4 ,he revealed himself only to the few1 and even that small inner circle1 of whom ,i was one of the most devoted1 saw the real man but seldom4 ,but on those rare occasions ,whistler could be gentle1 sweet and sympathetic1 almost feminine1 so lovable was he4 ,whistler treated his hair as everything about him1 purely from an artist's standpoint1 as a picture1 as a bit of decoration4 ,whistler wanted to produce certain lines in the frock coat and he insisted upon having the skirts cut very long1 while there were to be capes over the shoulders1 which must need form graceful curves in sympathy with the long-flowing lines of the skirt4 ,the idea of wearing white duck trousers with a black coat was not conceived in order to be unlike other people1 but because they formed a harmony in black and white he loved4 ,his straight brimmed hats1 his cane1 the way he held his cane1 each and every detail was observed1 but only as the means of forming a decorative whole4 ,less personal are ,val ,prinsep's remarks3 ,i have always thought that behind the 'poseur' there was quite a different ,whistler4 ,those who saw him with his mother were conscious of the fact that the irrepressible ,jimmy was very human4 ,no one could have been a better son or more attentive to his mother's wishes2 after his marriage ,i have heard that the life of this most ,bohemian 'poseur' was most harmonious and domestic4 ,the grammar of expression was a constant stumbling block to him1 hence his slowness in producing4 ,for let it not be supposed his pictures1 which looked so simple in their execution1 were produced with facility4 ,the late ,mr4 ,leyland told me that when he was sitting for his portrait1 a standing full-length1 ,whistler nearly cried over the drawing of the legs and bitterly regretted that he had not learned something of the construction of the human form during his student years4 ,he once spoke of himself as a 'soiled butterfly4' ,surely this is the first recorded instance of a butterfly being an aggressive and vindictive insect4 ,this however was a mere pose of ,whistler's1 the result of a well considered determination to exalt himself1 which he found in the long run paid1 even as all judicious publicity is said to bring in a sum percentage of profit4 ,a4 ,ludovici1 a ,new ,york dealer1 makes quite a hero of ,whistler4 ,he soon made me feel that ,i was talking to an artist of great taste and refinement1 full of love for his work and a ready wit1 and1 in spite of an academic training just received in ,paris1 ,i became that moment devoted to him and his art4 ,the little ,i had seen of it at the ,grosvenor engendered a desire to learn more regarding the mysterious technique of which he was such an undoubted master and confirmed my predilection in favour of painting the scene of life surrounding in preference to the making up of the conventional subject so much in vogue4 ,i who knew him for the last twenty years of his life always found him most simple in his tastes1 firm in his convictions1 generous and open-hearted to those whose friendship he relied on and always ready to help and oblige any one in whom his interests had been awakened4 ,a more brilliant and staunch friend one could not wish to have had4 ,also ,alexander ,harrison1 the marine painter1 expresses himself in a highly enthusiastic manner3 ,i have never known a man of more sincere and genuine impulse even in ordinary human relations and ,i am convinced that no man existed who could have been more easily controlled on lines of response to a fair and square apprehension of his genuine qualities4 ,when off his guard he was often a pathetic kid and ,i have spotted him in bashful moods1 although it would be hard to convince the bourgeois of this4 ,wit1 pathos1 gentleness1 affection1 audacity1 acridity1 tenacity were brought instantly to the sensitive surface1 like a spark by rough contact4 ,mr4 ,percy ,thomas says3 ,he was a man who could never bear to be alone4 ,through his own open door strange people drifted4 ,if they amused him he forgave them1 however they presumed1 and they usually did succeed4 ,whistler seldom painted men except when they came for their portraits1 and the models drifting in and out of the door of ,linsey ,row1 were mostly women4 ,he liked to have them with him4 ,mr4 ,thomas thinks he felt it necessary to see them about his studio1 for1 as he watched their movements they would take the pose that he wanted1 or suggest a group1 an arrangement4 ,he lived at a rate that would have killed most men1 and at an expense in details that was fabulous4 ,walter ,gray speaks about ,whistler's technique4 ,no one can realize who has not watched ,whistler paint the agony that his work gave him4 ,i have seen him1 after a day's struggle with a picture when things did not go1 completely collapse1 as from an illness4 ,his drawing coat gave him infinite trouble4 ,whatever his friends charge against him it seems to me that ,whistler's faults and weaknesses sprang from an unbalanced mentality2 he was a desquilibr1 the common defect of great painters4 ,yet1 underneath all his vagaries and eccentricities1 one felt that indefinable yet unmistakable being--a gentleman4 ,pennell gives a most valuable description of ,whistler as a painter4 ,the long nights of observation of the river were followed by long days of experiment in his studio4 ,in the end he gave up even making notes of subjects and effects4 ,it was impossible for him to choose and mix his colour at night1 and he was compelled to trust his memory1 which he cultivated1 when he painted his nocturnes4 ,he reshaped his brushes1 usually heating them over a candle1 melting the glue and pushing the hairs into the form he wanted4 ,whistler told us he used a medium composed of opal1 mastix and turpentine4 ,the colours were arranged upon a palette1 a long oblong board some two feet by three with the ',butterfly' inlaid in one corner2 round the edge1 sunken boxes for brushes and tubes4 ,the palette was laid upon the table2 the colours were placed1 though1 more frequently1 there were no pure colours at all4 ,large quantities of different tones of prevailing colours in the fashion and his paints were mixed1 and so much medium was used that he called it 'sauce4' ,mr4 ,greaves says1 that the nocturnes were mostly painted on very absorbant canvas1 sometimes on panels1 sometimes on bare brown holland sized4 ,for the blue nocturnes the canvas was covered with a red ground1 or the panel was of mahogany1 which had the advantage of forcing up the blues4 ,others were done in a practically warm black ground4 ,for the fireworks there was a lead ground1 or if the night was grey--the canvas was grey4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,sunshine 7,,etching74 ,so much 'sauce' was used that1 frequently1 the canvas had to be thrown flat on the floor to keep the whole thing from running off4 ,he washed the liquid colours on the canvas1 lighting and darkening the tone as he worked4 ,in many nocturnes the entire sky and water is rendered with great sweeps of the brush exactly the right tone4 ,how many times he may have wiped out that sweeping tone is another matter4 ,some one remembers seeing the nocturnes set out along the garden wall to bake in the sun1 sometimes they dried out like body colour in the most unexpected manner4 ,he had no recipe1 no system4 ,in his painting it was surprising to see how much he accomplished in a short time4 ,he would decide upon any local tone1 putting it on with five or six big strokes1 any variation of tones would be added in the same way4 ,in a given time he would put down more facts than any man ,i ever knew4 ,in the beginning of a pastel he drew his subject crisply and carefully in outline with black crayon upon one of the sheets of tinted paper which fitted the general colour of the motives4 ,a few touches with sky tinted pastels produced a remarkable effect4 ,he never was in a hurry in his work1 always careful and accomplished much4 ,every subject contrived some problem for nature which he wished to convey on canvas4 ,the portraits painted and etched by himself and various artist friends also comment favourably upon his personality4 ,william ,michael ,rossetti1 in his diary of ,february #e1 #aheg1 mentions seeing in ,whistler's studio a clever1 vivacious portrait of himself1 believed to be that belonging to the late ,george ,mc,cullough and which appears as the frontispiece to ,pennell's book4 ,another portrait sketch of this period or a little later was shown at the exhibition at the ,metropolitan ,museum of ,art in #aiaj4 ,another portrait sketch can be seen in the ,freer collection4 ,in #ahgd ,whistler planned a big picture similar to ,fantin-,latour's ,hommage ,delacroix1 only less serious and more eccentric in conception4 ,whistler was to be the centre figure and to be surrounded by the ,woman in ,white on a couch and a kimonoed lady walking about the studio1 while ,albert ,moore and ,fantin-,latour were chosen to serve as black notes4 ,one of the studies1 ,whistler in his studio1 is illustrated in ,pennell4 ,a chalk drawing belonging to ,thomas ,way is likewise in the same book4 ,there are three etched portraits in existence4 ,a very early one dated #ahei1 the ,whistler with the ,white ,lock1 which appeared as frontispiece in ,ralph ,thomas' ,catalogue of ,etchings and ,drypoints of ,whistler1 and an etching very similar to the #ahfg portrait1 dated #ahgd4 ,in #ahid he was painting a portrait of himself in a white jacket which1 according to the ,pennells1 was changed into a dark coat after the death of his wife4 ,a full length portrait in long overcoat was in the ,paris ,exposition of #aijj1 under the title of ,brown and ,gold4 ,another half length is known to belong to ,george ,w4 ,vanderbilt4 ,a dry-point by ,helleu1 drawn in #ahgh1 has many admirers1 but is rather superficial as a characterization4 ,the most important portrait is the ,mephistophilean interpretation by ,boldini1 painted #ahig and shown at the ,exposition in #aijj4 ,but ,i almost prefer a certain photograph which shows him with top-hat1 and overcoat over his shoulder4 ,it reminds me of the glimpse ,i caught of him that afternoon1 in ,paris years ago1 when ,i was still carefree and had not the slightest idea that ,i would one day write a book about the man ,i passed so nonchalantly4 ,the few paragraphs that are cited in this chapter may not do his personality full justice1 but they must suffice4 ,a personality can not be recalled from the shades4 ,we can only produce a mental image1 and an abundance of notes would only confuse the outlines4 ,his work remains1 that is the principal thing4 ,even the greatest painters of the past are mere ghosts and visions to us4 ,and although ,whistler1 more than any other modern painter1 has the chance of marching down posterity1 unforgotten and wreathed in glory1 a curious high-seasoned personality not unlike ,benvenuto ,cellini1 the author of these lines must refrain1 as he can add nothing new or original4 ,prophets or seers1 call them what you will1 in the arts or in the sciences1 must of necessity be few and far between1 and in advance of their age4 ,whistler is to me one of these1 in his absolute and genuine love of his profession1 for the resolve to win out at any cost1 for his conquests in various realms of art and the triumph of ideas they represent4 ,i admire his colossal vanity and egotism1 but1 more than all1 ,i admire him for the seriousness with which he took himself and his business of being a painter4 ,it is so rare a quality4 ,velasquez was so much of a solemn cavalier that he was almost ashamed of being a painter4 ,it offended him to be reminded of his profession4 ,it was a serious sport to him1 but only a sport4 ,he was like ,goethe3 a distinguished and conscientious amateur4 ,their exalted position in life enabled them to treat art with such ease and condescension4 ,but ,whistler had to climb to the very heights from which they started1 and all the battles and victories1 struggles and temporary defeats1 magnificent successes and lavish praises were the result of his personal efforts4 ,whistler needed1 and had the true autolatry of the artist2 he could conceive genius only under an artistic guise2 he entertained the absolute faith that the faculty of painting is something so hugely superior to anything else that it confers a sort of sacred character on its owner4 ,and it is for this wholesome artistic seriousness1 this salutary egotism1 that ,i admire ,whistler1 the man4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,pool 7,,etching74 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,beautiful ,who knew the errant life of the highway1 of the starlit desert and windy mountain slopes better than the story-teller of old1 who wandered from town to village1 from camp to solitary tent1 all over the face of the earth1 telling his simple tales to those who cared to listen8 ,he was the wayfarer who lived in his life the ,odyssey of the eternal ,wanderer1 and whose words reflected in quaint imaginative excursions the adventures of strange men and women he had met in lonely forests and crowded city streets4 ,every nomadic tribe1 every nation1 every country1 has had its singer of songs1 its chanter of religious hymns1 its troubadour1 its vagrom poet1 some story-teller of the beautiful4 ,they have vanished1 and the story is now repeated by the professional poet and artist4 ,he no longer treads the highways and the listeners no longer offer him the hospitality of a night's shelter4 ,he lives the life of the large cities2 he hastens from place to place1 he mingles with the crowd but passes unseen as nobody will listen to his stories4 ,more than ever is he the vagrom man1 unless he tells his story of the ,beautiful in such a novel1 fascinating way that ,art1 the whimsical goddess1 will open the book of life and inscribe his name4 ,then his townspeople1 his nation1 a whole continent1 the entire world may claim him4 ,whistler travelled many highways and lo1 when he arrived at the age of sixty a weary1 restless wanderer in the realm of art1 three nations--,england1 ,france and ,america--claimed him as their own4 ,born in ,america1 obtaining his education partly in ,america and partly in ,st4 ,petersburg1 ,russia1 living the rest of his life in ,europe1 dividing his time almost equally between ,paris and ,london1 he was a cosmopolitan in the true sense of the word1 and that is what he wished to be considered4 ,he loved ,england and loved ,france1 but he felt quite indifferent towards ,america4 ,in ,paris he had spent his student years1 and he was drawn to this city by many bonds of attachments and friendships that lasted for life4 ,and it was ,france who gave him that final great recognition of his genius when it purchased ,the ,artist's ,mother portrait for the ,luxembourg1 and made him an officer of the ,legion of ,honour4 ,in ,england1 on the other hand1 he fought the great battles of his life for social as well as artistic recognition4 ,in ,england he married1 and was for many years one of the most conspicuous characters of ,london art and social life4 ,america really did nothing for him1 and he did nothing for ,america4 ,he never came back to ,america--during forty-eight years--after leaving it as a young man of twenty-one4 ,he never exhibited in ,america until his name as a painter was one of the best known in ,europe4 ,he even preferred to exhibit his work with ,english artists in international exhibitions4 ,we all remember the ,general ,hawkins incident in #ahhi4 ,whistler only became known to ,america after his death through memorial exhibitions4 ,now1 of course1 we like to claim him1 and do so with ostentation4 ,expatriots are always claimed by their native country when they have achieved success or performed some remarkable act that has aroused the wonder of nations4 ,nobody cares whether ,mr4 ,jack ,johnson lived on the ,place ,monceau1 or died on the ,riviera4 ,to the analytical mind it is of little consequence whether he will go down in history as an ,american1 ,english or ,frenchman1 as he was one of the great artists of the nineteenth century with an international significance4 ,in the case of artists like ,burne-,jones1 ,israels1 ,boldini1 ,fortuny1 ,lenbach1 ,segantini1 it may be of more importance1 as they are local talents4 ,whistler's predilections were natural4 ,he was too shrewd a promoter of his own artistic welfare not to make the best of this dispute of nations4 ,he could not have prevented it anyhow1 and the question of his nationality will be disputed for many years to come4 ,of course1 one can simply settle the matter by saying that as he was born in ,america of ,american parents1 he is an ,american4 ,the ,english differ2 they choose to do in this case what we have always done with our immigrants4 ,after a person has lived for any length of time in the country we make him a citizen and consider him an ,american4 ,how about ,carl ,schurz1 ,general ,siegel and ,roebling1 the bridge builder8 ,they were all born abroad and yet their names are inscribed on our roll of honour4 ,of what nationality was ,lafcadio ,hearn1 who1 born on the ,ionian ,islands1 of ,irish and ,greek parentage1 living for years in ,new ,orleans and ,new ,york1 finally selected ,japan as the country of his choice1 where he lived the remainder of his life and was buried8 ,and yet we class him as an ,american writer4 ,it seems that the party most concerned in it2 the personality itself1 should decide the question4 ,hearn wished to be considered a ,japanese4 ,we are not quite sure what ,whistler's opinion was on the matter4 ,he claimed to be a cosmopolitan4 ,but that is no answer1 as it does not settle the dispute4 ,it leaves others to settle it1 and the trouble starts anew4 ,there is another much subtler point1 open to argument4 ,is his art in any sense ,american8 ,has it a flavour1 a peculiarity of its own1 that could be derived from any source except that of ,american birth and parentage8 ,to this question ,i answer emphatically yes4 ,true enough his subject matter was1 with the exception of ,l',amricaine and a few portraits1 strictly ,continental4 ,but the spirit was strictly ,japanese and--,american4 ,or1 ,i would rather say1 his form of art conception was ,oriental1 but the essence1 the under-rhythm of his personality1 was after all ,american4 ,he was somewhat of a snob and a precieux1 like his friend ,comte ,montesquiou4 ,he had all the polished manners1 the spirit1 the grace of a foreign aristocrat and yet he was neither a ,frenchman nor an ,englishman in his habits or views on art4 ,he remained an alien1 as any man in a foreign climate must remain to some extent1 when the change of domicile is made as late as the twentieth year4 ,his wit and sarcasm was ,american4 ,it was not pointless1 neither brusque nor frivolous but it was at times flat like ,mark ,twain's4 ,his self-exploitation revealed the shrewdness of an intellectual ,barnum4 ,his attitude in society was that of a ,yankee at ,king ,arthur's ,court4 ,besides there are vague traits in his art which reveal the premises of his origin4 ,his women1 ,the ,fur ,jacket1 ,lady ,archibald ,campbell1 ,l',amricaine1 and ,miss ,alexander1 have a natural finesse1 direct grace and elegant frailty that can be found nowhere but in ,america4 ,his power of adaptability1 his disregard for ancient culture for modern purposes1 his technical fanaticism1 his adventurous tastes and theories1 all have an ,american physiognomy4 ,if there is anything that will make him an ,american it is the aptitude for labour1 free association1 and practical adaptation4 ,that he left ,america never to return again is no compliment to our country1 but he1 no doubt1 acted wisely4 ,if we remember the sad unsuccessful lives of ,whitman and ,poe1 we shun to think what might have become of ,whistler had he stayed on these shores4 ,he1 no doubt1 would have become one of our best painters1 but he would never have become the ,whistler we know to-day4 ,illustration3 ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black ,,and ,,white3 ,l',,am,,ricaine4 ,like all our painters of merit1 ,fuller1 ,abbott ,thayer1 ,winslow ,homer1 ,homer ,martin1 to mention but a few1 he would have retired into solitude1 he would have become a hermit at a much earlier stage in his career4 ,in ,england it was revolt1 fight and victory2 here it would have been stagnation4 ,there would have been no fight because there would have been nobody to fight with4 ,when a man is young1 he is strong because he is impulsive and because he has absolute faith in his beliefs4 ,as he grows older his views broaden1 he is not quite as certain of himself1 and there will come a time when he will vacillate from one point to another1 trying his faculties in different directions and searching for the final path on which his inborn talent may blossom forth in fullest strength and beauty4 ,this is the time when a man needs encouragement1 some patron no matter how stingy1 some order no matter how humble1 some friends and supporters who champion his cause--or he will succumb4 ,he may not give up the battle1 but his development will be marred and retarded for years4 ,american life is not particularly kind to budding geniuses1 either in the period of revolt or of later evolution4 ,there is no gainsaying we are a very material race just now4 ,and it is nowise peculiar that it should be so4 ,we do not expect much from ,australia and ,canada in the way of art4 ,why should we of the ,united ,states1 where there are vast territories in very much the same primitive condition as in other emigrant countries8 ,of course there are certain parts and centres in this country which can boast of a culture dating back a few centuries1 but the population has always lived in turmoil and conflict4 ,self-assertion and self-improvement are the ideals of any man who has changed his domicile1 in the one hope to better his material welfare4 ,in a country which is so vast as ours and which has at times an increase of ten thousand aliens a week1 the national pride in intellectual accomplishments cannot run high4 ,all that wealth can do is done at present4 ,we have numerous private collections of rare excellence and will have ,national ,galleries and ,kensington ,museums in due time1 but1 as ,whistler has said1 art is not a matter of education1 or of royal1 civic or municipal encouragement4 ,it is a growth and the soil must be ripe for it4 ,no doubt1 in due time collectors will divert some of their attention from the battered relics of past ages to the quite as admirable productions of their contemporaries4 ,it would be pleasant to find that people cease the worship of dubious pictures by ,old ,masters as the one certain and infallible proof of enlightenment4 ,the artist of to-day has to subsist on the ,spartan principle2 he has either to do or to die4 ,these are no stimulants to inspiration4 ,he has to dig it all out of himself4 ,that engenders martyrdom4 ,and very few1 particularly those equipped with lesser talent1 are willing to give up a half-way respectable existence for a life in a garret and a long wait until fame knocks at the door4 ,nearly all the great ,european artists had their struggle and lived in hovels4 ,the ,american is less willing to enter upon such a precarious existence1 as he realizes that if he accepts it1 he may have to stay in a garret until the end of his life4 ,american artists do not assist each other4 ,each goes his own way1 partly under the stress of conditions1 because the vastness of the country and larger towns permits no closer association2 and partly by choice1 by personal inclination or professional reasons4 ,there is but little intellectual intercourse4 ,the atmospheric conditions are just as beautiful here as anywhere4 ,and so are the subjects equally beautiful and plentiful4 ,it would be ridiculous to deny it4 ,yet it takes courage to be a pioneer4 ,it needs leisure1 some incentive and sympathy4 ,no man is inexhaustible4 ,he needs some encouragement from outside2 and if it fails to come he will grow indifferent4 ,he may open up a restaurant1 or become an illustrator on a comic paper4 ,deserters of this kind may not represent an irreparable loss1 as they were never ensign-bearers1 nor ever stood in the firing line4 ,they were not carved as from iron or wood1 ,cut with an axe1 or hammered with sledge1 ,till the man shows strong and good4 as ,daniel ,dawson sang1 another young poet who fell by the wayside4 ,our conditions are not conducive to the evolution and exploitation of a genius4 ,graft and prohibition laws1 whose evil influences are felt in all strata of society1 also injure artistic progress1 if not directly1 surely by the stress of public opinion4 ,such conditions would no doubt have retarded the progress of even a man like ,whistler for years4 ,if a man has not the means to sip his demi-tasse at ,florian's1 in ,venice on the piazza1 he can not make any etchings or lithographs of the ,campanile4 ,and if a man cannot afford to buy plates and an etching press he cannot make any etchings at all4 ,and that is the fate of hundreds of artists in our larger cities4 ,no1 to go to ,paris and then to find another congenial abode in ,europe1 to settle there1 to live his own life1 and to do in art what he wanted to do was the wisest move ,whistler ever made4 ,it helped him to expand and to mature the great talent that was slumbering within him1 ever since he stared1 lost in wonder1 at the ,velasquez of the ,hermitage at ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,whistler admired the ,greek as much as anybody1 but this emotional reverence did not hinder him from smashing some traditions of ancient beauty to pieces4 ,greek art was so perfect that for centuries no artist could escape its influence4 ,all the ,old ,masters were nursed on the marble breasts of ,grecian goddesses4 ,in all art schools the white corpses of plaster cast facsimiles were worshipped on bended knee4 ,the pupils never dared to glance about4 ,they did not see the beauty of the world around them4 ,they could perceive it only through ,greek conventions4 ,this had to cease4 ,there was no life blood in these artificial constructions4 ,but tradition was so deeply ingrained in ,western stheticisms that it lingered on for centuries1 until ,manet entered the studio1 opened the windows1 let in the light1 and ,monet took the young students by the arm1 pushed them into the open air and led them to the meadows and riverside1 and the open road4 ,whistler1 in the meanwhile1 had scoured the whole horizon of art1 and beheld a new dawn in the ,east4 ,there he saw an old civilization1 as deep and broad as ours4 ,it was just at a stage when modern materialism had begun to wash out some of its finest colours4 ,art was deteriorating in the ,east under the stress of missionaries and merchants4 ,an era of manufacture had set in4 ,could not the noble1 unselfish spirit of old ,japan be kept alive1 revived1--amalgamated with our art1 and be made to pour new life into our valiant dreams of beauty6 ,you remember what ,whistler said of the primitive artist4 ,the words are worth repeating3 ,in the beginning1 man went forth each day--some to do battle1 some to the chase1 others1 again1 to dig and delve in the fields--all that they might gain and live1 or lose and die4 ,until there was found among them one1 differing from the rest1 whose pursuits attracted him not1 and so he stayed by the tents with the women1 and traced strange devices with a burnt stick upon a gourd4 ,this man1 who took not joy in the ways of his brethren--who cared not for conquest1 and fretted in the field--this designer of quaint patterns--this deviser of the beautiful1 who perceived in ,nature about him curious curvings1 as faces are seen in the fire1 this dreamer apart1 was the first artist4 ,and when1 from the field from afar1 there came back the people1 they took the gourd--and drank from out of it4 ,and presently there came to this man another--and in time others--of like nature1 chosen by the ,gods--and so they worked together and soon they fashioned from the moistened earth forms resembling the gourd4 ,and with the power of creation1 the heirloom of the artist1 presently they went forth beyond the slovenly suggestion of ,nature1 and the first vase was born1 in beautiful proportions4 ,and the toilers tilled and were athirst2 and the heroes returned from fresh victories1 to rejoice and to feast2 and all drank alike from the artist's goblets1 fashioned cunningly1 taking no note the while of the craftsman's pride1 and understanding not his glory in his work2 drinking at the cup1 not from choice1 not from a consciousness that it was beautiful1 but because1 forsooth1 there was none other4 ,the art of the past has done its work4 ,the white gods are worshipped no longer in the sacred woods and the ,old ,masters have lost much of their spiritual glamour4 ,but no need to mourn their loss1 they will remain beautiful4 ,we will always look with awe and wonder at the figures of the ,parthenon frieze4 ,we will never cease to love the ,primitifs4 ,we will continue to make pilgrimages to the ,prado and the ,sistine ,chapel4 ,and ,rembrandt will as heretofore receive the adoration of mankind4 ,yet the new art will be different4 ,it has to be different to equal the old4 ,it will be attuned to the moods of the modern mind4 ,it will have new accents4 ,it will bear the analytical and complex aspects of our time4 ,it will be subtler1 more fragile1 perhaps1 but it will drive deeper into our soul than the cold correctness of older forms and emblems4 ,it was ,whistler who pointed out that a large picture is a contradiction1 that a picture like ,raphael's ,transfiguration or ,veronese's ,marriage of ,cana are merely combinations of smaller pictures1 drearily linked together by stretches of negligible paint4 ,the demands of explanation1 of form and composition1 drag in1 every now and then1 lines and colour notes which are merely padding4 ,they are the painter's concessions to the old rules of complexity4 ,the modern mind demands a concentrated vision4 ,painting must appeal again directly to our finer sensibilities1 speak to us without interference of moral or literary considerations4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fiddler 7,,etching74 ,it was ,whistler who taught that painting was a science of colour manipulation4 ,that the first requisite of a painter is to know how to paint4 ,everybody can learn how to draw and how to handle a brush4 ,to explore the secrets of colour1 to discern their influences upon each other1 to render them atmospheric and musical1 that alone is of vital importance4 ,for painting should be a visual language that speaks directly and distinctly to the cultured mind4 ,how many of the younger ,american painters 7alas1 our younger men have all passed the threshold of thirty if not of forty7 really know their mtier8 ,henri1 ,reid1 ,luks1 ,tarbell1 ,hawthorne1 ,clews1 ,r4 ,e4 ,miller1 ,lucas1 who else8 ,that is why ,whistler's art is so exceptional and masterful4 ,there may be other methods just as good as his2 ,monticelli1 ,maris1 ,mancini1 ,segantini1 ,renoir1 ,czanne1 etc41 all have their peculiar way1 but ,i believe that ,whistler got nearest to the pulse beat of our age4 ,resolutely and tranquil1 he carried an idea to its utmost logical conclusion1 after once accepting its particular point of view4 ,and that is why everything he did bears an unmistakable stamp of his own4 ,it was ,whistler who proved that art was synonymous with hard work4 ,few painters will follow his example and spend a whole day trying to put in a high-light or to find the right place for a butterfly's wing1 and go home at night satisfied with having made a few brush-strokes after altering them a hundred times1 but these commercial travellers of art will never know the painter's pure delight1 the contemplation of life1 the aspiration to perfection1 the lifting of beauty out of the dead pigment4 ,such worship of art1 such absolute disinterestedness1 such fidelity to painting cannot be too highly esteemed4 ,and it was ,whistler who proclaimed that art cannot be taught but must be an inborn gift1 that everything can be acquired by long practice save that one supernatural quality of genius which alone can transform a painter into a great artist4 ,what is there in these pictures produced every year1 here and in ,paris and everywhere8 ,portraits1 landscapes1 ordinary delineations of prosaic scenes that may be painted with considerable skill and that may look pretty enough1 but that are absolutely incapable of evoking a fine and subtle emotion4 ,this1 the men upon whose shoulders the black mantle of ,whistler's muse may fall1 must realize1 that it is a vain endeavour--as futile as cloud shadows on a summer day--unless they know that they can hold her1 the capricious jade1 as they possess the magic wand to call her4 ,illustration3 ,,nocturne ,,in ,,brown ,,and ,,silver3 ,,old ,,battersea ,,bridge4 ,this was the spirit in which ,whistler conceived art4 ,it had long faded out of ,european art4 ,it was rapidly deteriorating in the ,orient4 ,why could not a single man1 even with the whole world against him1 live up to some big ideal6 ,to be an artist simply for one's own gratification4 ,to fashion something beautiful simply because one feels like doing it4 ,to purify one's mind by projecting into life what is accumulated there by some curious grace of nature4 ,whistler undertook the task1 and created a new art form that may be destined to rule art for the next thousand years4 ,a new art form is always the expression of a new spirit4 ,in painting the new spirit is rebellious4 ,in addition it is emphatically individualistic4 ,it is opposed to previous schools and academic training4 ,it aims at attaining the maximum of personal intensity4 ,the exigencies of the classic style--the necessity of a literary subject--at once stay the free use of the brush and hamper the virile expression of technique4 ,why not give to art a new twist1 graft upon it a new beauty1 enliven it with a purer flame1 that it may shine forth again in its old pristine beauty6 ,the ,western mind still rebels that this resurrection should come from the ,east1 through another race4 ,even the most ardent disciples of ,whistler make little of the ,japanese influence4 ,it is still a question of conquest4 ,in my mind1 as in that of many of our foremost artists1 there is not the slightest doubt that the ,eastern idea will win out and that a new era1 as important as that of ,greek influence1 will set in4 ,the meaning of the old symbols has faded and it is the artist's duty to create new ones4 ,whistler disclosed new harmonies of tone1 of arrangement1 and visual poetry1 all of them sensitive and expressive1 using blacks and browns and a touch of vivid colour or a flare of white1 and thereby succeeded in stirring the depth of our nature4 ,his art has a tender pallor1 tones purposely deadened1 faded tints like those on ,japanese screens of old feudal castles1 of a wondrous harmony and softness4 ,details1 discreetly accentuated1 allow the ensemble to retain its full importance1 and against dark background1 in soft neutral tints1 figures that the painter desires to bring out show with an illusion of life truly magical4 ,herein consists the last great pictorial invention2 it is through this that painting still has the faculty to powerfully address the modern mind4 ,he said in his ,ten ,o',clock that the story of the beautiful was complete4 ,he surely1 like ,monet1 has added a valuable chapter4 ,he1 in his own words1 was one of the chosen--with the mark of the gods upon him--who had to continue what had gone before4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,bibliography ,bacher1 ,otto ,h43 ,with ,whistler in ,venice4 ,new ,york1 #aijh4 ,bell1 ,arthur ,g4 and ,nancy3 ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler and his ,work4 ,new ,york1 #aijd4 ,bell1 ,nancy ,e43 7,mrs4 ,arthur ,bell73 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,london and ,new ,york1 #aijd4 7,miniatures ,series of ,painters47 ,bell1 ,nancy ,e43 ,representative ,painters of the ,,xix ,century4 ,london1 #ahii4 ,bndite1 ,lonce3 ,l'oeuvre de ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler reunis l'occasion de l'exposition commemorative4 ,paris1 #aije4 ,bndite1 ,lonce3 ,exposition des oeuvres de ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,introduction by ,lonce ,bndite4 ,palais de l'cole des ,beaux-,arts4 ,paris1 ,may1 #aije4 ,bowdoin1 ,w4 ,g43 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,london1 #aija1 ,new ,york1 #aijb4 ,bowdoin1 ,w4 ,g43 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,london and ,new ,york1 #aijd4 ,brinton1 ,christian3 ,modern ,artists4 ,new ,york1 #aijh4 ,caffin1 ,chas4 ,h43 ,american ,masters of ,painting4 ,new ,york1 #aijb4 ,caffin1 ,chas4 ,h43 ,the ,story of ,american ,painting4 ,new ,york1 #aijg4 ,cary1 ,elizabeth ,l43 ,the ,works of ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,new ,york1 #aijg4 ,chesterton1 ,g4 ,k43 ,heretics4 ,london1 #aije4 ,child1 ,theodore3 ,american ,artists at the ,paris ,exposition1 ,art and ,criticism4 ,new ,york1 #ahib4 ,child1 ,theodore3 ,a ,pre-,raphaelite ,mansion1 ,art and ,criticism4 ,new ,york1 #ahib4 ,copley ,society of ,boston3 ,memorial ,exhibition of ,works of ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,february1 #aijd4 ,cox1 ,kenyon3 ,old ,masters and ,new4 ,new ,york1 #aijc4 ,dennis1 ,g4 ,r43 ,bryan's ,dictionary of ,painters and ,engravers4 ,london1 #aije4 ,duret1 ,theodore3 ,histoire de ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler et de son oeuvre4 ,paris1 #aijd4 ,duret1 ,theodore3 ,critique d'avant-garde4 ,paris1 #ahhe4 ,eddy1 ,arthur ,jerome3 ,recollections and ,impressions of ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,london1 #aijc4 ,forsythe1 ,walter ,greenwood1 ,harrison and ,joseph ,leroy1 ,ed43 ,guide to the ,study of ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,albany1 #ahie 7,university of the ,state of ,new ,york74 ,gallatin1 ,albert ,e43 ,whistler1 ,notes and ,footnotes and other ,memoranda4 ,new ,york1 #aijg4 ,goodspeed1 ,charles ,e43 ,whistler ,art ,dicta and ,other ,essays4 ,boston1 #aijd4 ,goupil and ,co43 ,portfolio of ,twenty-four ,reproductions4 #ahih4 ,grolier ,club1 ,new ,york3 ,the ,etched ,works of ,whistler1 ,compiled by ,edward ,g4 ,kennedy1 introduction by ,royal ,coutissoz4 #aiaj4 ,hollingworth1 ,c4 ,j4 ,h43 ,the ,peacock ,room4 ,obach ,galleries4 ,london1 #aijd4 ,hartmann1 ,sadakichi3 ,a ,history of ,american ,art1 ,vol4 #b4 ,boston1 #aijb4 ,hubbard1 ,elbert3 ,whistler4 ,east ,aurora1 ,n4 ,y41 #aijc 7,little ,journey ,series74 ,huysman1 ,j4 ,k3 ,certains4 7,g4 ,moreau1 ,degas1 ,cheret1 ,whistler1 ,rops1 etc47 ,paris1 #ahhi4 ,international ,society of ,sculptors1 ,painters ,and ,engravers3 ,memorial ,exhibitions of the ,works of the ,late ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,london1 ,feb4 #bbnd to ,april #aeth1 #aije4 ,isham1 ,samuel3 ,the ,history of ,american ,painting4 ,new ,york1 #aije4 ,knoor1 ,thomas3 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler1 ,zehnuhr ,vorlesung4 ,strassburg1 #aijd4 ,koehler1 ,sylvester ,rosa3 ,etching4 ,new ,york1 #ahhe4 ,levy1 ,florence3 ,whistler ,catalogue4 ,metropolitan ,museum1 ,n4 ,y41 #aiaj4 ,mc,fall1 ,haldane3 ,whistler3 ,butterfly1 ,wasp1 ,wit1 ,masters of ,arts1 ,enigma4 ,boston1 #aijg4 ,mc,fall1 ,haldane3 ,whistler4 ,boston1 #aijf 7,spirit of ,age ,series74 ,mansfield1 ,howard3 ,a ,descriptive ,catalogue of the etchings and drypoints of ,james ,abbott ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,chicago1 ,caxton ,club1 #aiji4 ,mauclair1 ,c43 ,de ,watteau ,whistler4 ,paris1 #aije4 ,mac,coll1 ,donald ,stewert3 ,nineteenth ,century ,art3 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,glasgow1 #aijb4 ,mc,spadden1 ,j4 ,walker3 ,famous ,painters of ,america4 ,new ,york1 #aijg4 ,menpes1 ,mortimer3 ,whistler ,as ,i ,knew ,him4 ,london1 #aijd4 ,moore1 ,george3 ,modern ,painting4 ,london1 #ahih4 ,muther1 ,richard3 ,a ,history of ,modern ,painters4 ,london1 ,new ,york1 #aijg4 ,pattison1 ,james ,william3 ,painters since ,leonardo4 ,chicago1 #aijd4 ,pennell1 ,e4 ,r4 and ,j43 ,the ,life of ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,london1 #aijh4 ,rossetti1 ,william ,michael3 ,fine ,arts1 ,chiefly ,contemporary1 ,vol4 #c4 ,new ,york1 #ahif4 ,singer1 ,hans ,w43 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,berlin1 #aijd1 ,london1 #aijh 7,langham ,series74 ,studio3 ,whistler ,portfolio4 ,london1 #aije4 ,symons1 ,arthur3 ,studies in ,seven ,arts4 ,new ,york1 #aijf4 ,ralph1 ,thomas3 ,catalogue of etchings and drypoints of ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 ,london1 #ahgd4 ,tuckerman1 ,h4 ,t43 ,book of ,artists4 ,new ,york1 #ahfg4 ,victoria and ,albert ,museum3 ,the ,etchings of ,j4 ,mc,neill ,whistler4 7,catalogue47 ,london1 #aije4 ,vose1 ,george ,l43 ,sketch of the ,life of ,george ,washington ,whistler1 ,civil ,engineer4 ,boston1 #ahhg4 ,way1 ,thomas ,r43 ,whistler's ,lithographs4 ,london1 #ahif4 ,way1 ,r41 and ,dennis1 ,g4 ,r43 ,the ,art of ,j4 ,mc,n4 ,whistler3 ,an ,appreciation4 ,london1 #aijc4 ,wedmore1 ,frederick3 ,whistler's ,etching2 ,a ,study and ,a ,catalogue4 ,london1 #ahhf4 ,wedmore1 ,frederick3 ,a ,note on ,etchings by ,whistler1 ,exhibited at the ,galleries of ,obach and ,co4 ,london1 #aijc4 ,wedmore1 ,frederick3 ,four ,masters of ,etching 7,whistler1 ,legros1 ,seymour ,haden and ,jacquemart74 ,london1 #ahhc-hi4 ,wedmore1 ,frederick3 ,whistler and ,others 7#bd ,essays74 ,london and ,new ,york1 #aijf4 ,whistler1 ,j4 ,mc,n43 ,eden v4 ,whistler1 ,the ,baronet and the ,butterfly1 ,a ,valentine with a ,verdict4 ,paris1 #ahii4 ,whistler1 ,j4 ,mc,n43 ,the ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies4 ,london1 #ahij4 ,new edition1 #ahib1 includes ,whistler's ,ten ,o',clock4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,the ,painter ,etcher ,papers and the ,nocturnes1 ,marines and ,chevalet ,pieces4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,nocturnes1 ,marines and ,chevalet ,pieces4 ,london1 #ahib4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,paddon papers1 or the ,owl and the ,cabinet4 ,london1 #ahhb4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,piker ,papers4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,mr4 ,whistler's ,ten ,o',clock4 ,london1 #ahhh4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,art and ,art ,critics1 ,the ,white ,house4 ,chelsea1 ,london1 ,december1 #ahgh4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,whistler ,album 7#bj photographs74 ,paris1 #ahib4 ,whistler v4 ,ruskin3 ,wilde v4 ,whistler3 being ,acrimonious ,correspondence4 ,london1 #ahif4 ,,principal ,,magazine ,,articles ---------------------------------------- ------------------------- ,alden1 ,w4 ,s4 ,saturday ,review ,aug4 #aijc4 ,alexandre1 ,arsne ,les ,arts ,sept4 #aijc4 ,american ,architect ,nov4 #ahhg4 ,art ,journal v4 #di1 p4 #aj4 ,art ,journal v4 #eb1 p4 #aih4 ,art ,journal v4 #di1 p4 #bih4 ,bacher1 ,otto ,century ,magazine #aijb1 p4 #ajj-aaa4 ,baldry1 ,a4 ,l4 ,the ,studio ,sept4 #aijc4 ,beal1 ,s4 ,american ,architect v4 #ha1 p4 #ia4 ,beerbohm1 ,max ,metropolitan #aijd1 p4 #gbh-gcc4 ,beerbohm1 ,max ,saturday ,review ,nov4 #ahig4 ,bndite1 ,lonce ,gazette des beaux-arts #aije1 p4 #cc-cd4 ,bloor1 ,a4 ,j4 ,critic #aijc4 ,brinton1 ,christian ,critic #aijb4 ,brinton1 ,christian ,munsey's ,magazine #aijf4 ,brownell1 ,w4 ,c4 ,scribner's ,magazine ,aug4 #ahgi4 ,boughton1 ,g4 ,h4 ,international ,studio #aijd1 p4 #baj-bah4 ,caffin1 ,charles ,h4 ,international ,studio #aijc1 v4 #bj4 ,coburn1 ,fred4 ,w4 ,brush and ,pencil #aijd1 v4 #ac4 ,cortissoz1 ,royal ,atlantic ,monthly #aijc1 v4 #ib1 pp4 #hbf-hch4 ,cox1 ,kenyon ,nation ,magazine #aijd v4 #gh4 ,crawford1 ,earl ,stetson ,the ,reader #aijc1 v4 #b1 pp4 #chg-cij4 ,current ,literature ,sept4 #aijc4 ,dempsey1 ,charles ,w4 ,magazine of ,art #ahhb1 p4 #ceh4 ,dempsey1 ,charles ,w4 ,mc,clure's ,magazine v4 #g1 p4 #cgd4 ,dodgson1 ,campbell ,graphische ,knste #aijd4 ,dowdeswell1 ,w4 ,american ,architect v4 #bb1 p4 #beh4 ,dreyfus1 ,albert ,kunst fr ,alle #aijg4 ,eclectic ,magazine #aijc1 v4 #aj1 pp4 #eef-eeh4 ,fenellosa1 ,ernest ,f4 ,lotus ,magazine #aijc4 ,finberg1 ,a4 ,j4 ,athenum ,magazine #aijb-c4 ,fortuny1 ,pascal ,gazette des beaux-arts #aijc1 v4 #cj4 ,fourcaud1 ,l4 de ,gazette des beaux-arts ,june1 #ahhd4 ,geffroy1 ,gustave ,revue ,universelle ,sept4 #aijc4 ,hadley1 ,frank ,h4 ,brush and ,pencil #aijc1 v4 #ab4 ,harper's ,weekly ,aug4 #aijc4 ,hartmann1 ,sadakichi ,wilson's ,magazine ,apr4 #aiaj4 ,hawthorne1 ,julian ,independent ,magazine ,nov4 #ahii4 ,hubbard1 ,elbert ,idler ,magazine #aijc1 v4 #bc4 ,international ,studio #aije1 v4 #be4 ,jenney1 ,w4 ,l4 ,b4 ,american ,architect v4 #ei1 p4 #d4 ,jackson1 ,louise ,w4 ,brush and ,pencil #aijh4 ,kelley1 ,g4 ,weston's ,magazine v4 #acj4 ,kessler1 ,harry ,g4 ,kunst und ,knstler #aije4 ,knaufft1 ,ernest ,churchman ,magazine #aijc4 ,knaufft1 ,ernest ,review of ,reviews v4 #bh1 p4 #agc4 ,kobb1 ,gustave ,the ,chap ,book #ahih4 ,kunst und ,knstler #aije4 ,kunst und ,knstler #aijh4 ,levin1 ,julius ,illustrirte ,zeitung #aijc4 ,living ,age #aije1 v4 #bh 7v4 #bdf74 ,losee1 ,william ,f4 ,brush and ,pencil #aijc1 v4 #ab4 ,ludovici1 ,a4 ,art ,journal #aijf1 v4 #fh4 ,masters in ,art #aijg1 v4 #h4 ,macfall1 ,h4 ,academy v4 #ff1 p4 #fcc4 ,mather1 ,frank1 ,jr4 ,world's ,work #aijc4 ,matsuki1 ,bunkio ,lotus ,magazine #aijc4 ,mauclair1 ,camille ,rev4 ,polit4 and ,litter4 #aijc1 v4 #bj4 ,mans1 ,octave ,international ,studio #aijd1 v4 #bc4 ,meier-,graefe1 ,julius ,die ,zukunft #aijc4 ,menpes1 ,dorothy ,international ,studio #aijd1 v #bj1 pp4 #bde-beg4 ,menpes1 ,mortimer ,cornhill ,magazine #aijc1 v4 #ae4 ,mc,coll1 ,d4 ,s4 ,art ,journal v4 #ae1 p4 #hh4 ,mc,coll1 ,d4 ,s4 ,saturday ,review v4 #ac1 p4 #ceg4 ,meynell1 ,wilfred ,pall ,mall ,magazine #aijc1 v4 #ca4 ,morton1 ,fred4 ,w4 ,brush and ,pencil #aijc1 v4 #ab4 ,mulliken1 ,mary ,a4 ,international ,studio #aije1 v4 #be4 ,muster1 ,john de ,elseviers ,geillust #aijg1 v4 #cc4 ,the ,nation #aijc1 pp4 #adi-aea4 ,patini1 ,rinaldo ,nuova antologia #aiji1 v4 #adj4 ,pennell1 ,joseph ,burlington ,magazine #aijc1 v4 #c4 ,pennell1 ,joseph ,nation v4 #ed1 p4 #bhj4 ,pennell1 ,joseph ,north ,american ,review #aijc1 v4 #agg4 ,scribner's ,magazine v4 #ba1 p4 #bgg4 ,pennington1 ,harper ,international ,quar'ly #aijd1 v4 #aj1 ,no4 #a4 ,pennington1 ,harper ,metropolitan ,magazine #aiaj1 pp4 #gfi-ggf4 ,princep1 ,val ,magazine of ,art #aijc4 ,quilter1 ,harry ,chamber's ,magazine #aijc1 v4 #ff4 ,revista ,latino ,americana #aijc1 v4 #a4 ,rosenhagen1 ,hans ,nord und ,sd #aiji1 v4 #acj4 ,saturday ,review v4 #c p4 #bjh4 ,scott1 ,william ,international ,studio #aijc1 pp4 #ig-ajg4 ,sickert1 ,bernhard ,burlington ,magazine #aije1 v4 #f4 ,sickert1 ,oswald ,international ,studio #aijc1 v4 #ba4 ,sickert1 ,oswald ,kunst und ,knstler #aijc1 v4 #a4 ,sickert1 ,walker ,fortnightly ,review v4 #ed1 p4 #bdc4 ,sketchley1 ,r4 ,e4 ,d4 ,kunst und ,knstler #aijf1 v4 #d4 ,smalley1 ,phoebe ,j4 ,the ,lamp v4 #bg1 p4 #aaj4 ,spielmann1 ,m4 ,h4 ,magazine of ,art ,nov4 #aijc1 pp4 #fi-gj4 ,swinburne1 ,a4 ,c4 ,fortnightly ,review v4 #di1 p4 #gde4 ,swinburne1 ,a4 ,c4 ,ecclesiastic ,magazine v4 #aaa1 p4 #aed4 ,teall1 ,gardner ,c4 ,the ,bookman #aijc1 pp4 #bfe-bfh4 ,thompson1 ,d4 ,art ,journal #aijc1 v4 #ee4 ,academy v4 #bc1 p4 #acd4 ,wedmore1 ,fred #aith ,century ,magazine #aijd1 v4 #ba4 ,knowledge v4 #c1 p4 #bjh4 ,way1 ,thomas ,r4 ,international ,studio #aijc4 ,wuerpel1 ,g4 ,h4 ,independent v4 #ef1 p4 #aca4 ,wilson1 ,t4 ,book ,buyer v4 #ag1 p4 #aac4 ,,principal ,,paintings#b ,footnote #b3 p4 indicates when picture was painted1 or started1 as it sometimes took ,whistler more than ten years to finish a picture2 e4 indicates when first exhibited4 ,dates and ownership are omitted whenever author failed to verify facts4 ---------------------------------------- ------------------------- ,la ,fumette p4 #ahei4 ,self-portrait 7,s4 ,p4 ,avery1 ,esq47 p4 #ahei4 ,la ,mre ,grard p4 #ahei4 ,the ,music ,room 7,frank ,j4 ,hecker1 ,esq47 p4 #ahfj4 ,the ,woman in ,white 7,j4 ,h4 ,whittemore1 ,esq47 p4 #ahfc e4 #ahfc4 ,lange ,leizen of ,six ,marks3 ,in ,purple and ,rose 7,john ,g4 ,johnson1 ,esq47 p4 #ahfd e4 #ahfd4 ,harmony in ,purple and ,gold3 ,the ,golden ,screen 7,chas4 ,w4 ,freer1 ,esq47 p4 #ahfd e4 #ahfe4 ,symphony in ,white ,,ii3 ,the ,little ,white ,girl 7,arthur ,studd1 ,esq47 p4 and e4 #ahfd4 ,symphony in ,white ,,iii 7,e4 ,davis1 ,esq47 ,at the ,piano 7,e4 ,davis1 ,esq47 p4 #ahei e4 #ahfg4 ,la ,princesse du ,pays de la ,porcelaine 7,chas4 ,w4 ,freer1 ,esq47 p4 #ahfd e4 #ahfe4 ,on the ,balcony3 ,harmony in ,flesh ,colour and ,green 7,chas4 ,w4 ,freer1 ,esq47 e4 #ahff4 ,self-portrait 7,george ,mc,cullough1 ,esq47 p4 #ahfg4 ,arrangement in ,black3 ,f4 ,r4 ,leyland 7,chas4 ,w4 ,freer1 ,esq47 e4 #ahgc ,arrangement in ,brown and ,gold 7,j4 ,j4 ,cowan1 ,esq47 ,woman in ,gray 7,rijks ,museum1 ,amsterdam7 ,lady in ,gray 7,metropolitan ,museum1 ,new ,york7 ,l',andalusienne 7,john ,h4 ,whittemore1 ,esq47 p4 about #ahid4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,brown3 ,miss ,rose ,corder 7,r4 ,a4 ,canfield1 ,esq47 p4 #ahgf e4 #ahha4 ,the ,peacock ,room 7,chas4 ,w4 ,freer1 ,esq47 #ahgf4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,brown3 ,the ,fur ,jacket 7,william ,burrell1 ,esq47 p4 #ahgf4 ,amricaine p4 #ahgf e4 #ahgh4 ,florence ,leyland 7,brooklyn ,institute1 ,new ,york7 p4 #ahgf e4 #ahgh4 ,arrangement in ,gray and ,black3 ,thomas ,carlyle 7,city ,art ,galleries1 ,glasgow7 p4 #ahgb e4 #ahgg4 ,sir ,henry ,irving as ,philip ,,ii e4 #ahgg4 ,arrangement in ,gray and ,black3 ,the ,artist's ,mother 7,luxembourg ,gallery7 p4 #ahga e4 #ahha4 ,arrangement in ,gray and ,green3 ,miss ,alexander 7,w4 ,c4 ,alexander1 ,esq47 p4 #ahgb e4 #ahha4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,white3 ,lady ,meux p4 #ahgg e4 #ahhd4 ,harmony in ,pink and ,gray3 ,lady ,meux e4 #ahhb4 ,theodore ,duret e4 #ahhc4 ,arrangement in ,black3 ,lady ,archibald ,campbell 7,wilstach ,gallery1 ,phila47 e4 #ahhc4 ,mrs4 ,louis ,huth p4 #ahgg e4 #ahhd4 ,arrangement in ,black3 ,mme4 ,cassatt e4 #ahee4 ,arrangement in ,black3 7,carnegie ,art ,institute1 ,pablo ,sarasate ,pittsburg1 ,pa47 p4 #ahhd e4 #ahhf4 ,harmony in ,ivory3 ,lady ,colin ,campbell e4 #ahff4 ,arrangement in ,violet and ,rose3 ,mme4 ,walter ,sickert e4 #ahhg4 ,arrangement in ,black and ,gold3 ,comte de ,montesquieu 7,r4 ,a4 ,canfield1 ,esq47 e4 #ahia4 ,the ,master ,smith of ,lyme ,regis 7,boston ,museum7 e4 #ahie4 ,little ,rose of ,lyme ,regis 7,boston ,museum7 e4 #ahie4 ,full length ,self-portrait 7,g4 ,w4 ,vanderbilt1 ,esq47 e4 #aijj4 ,,nocturnes ,the majority of ,nocturnes were painted during the years #ahff-ahhd4 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,gold3 ,valparaiso p4 #ahff e4 #ahga4 7,chas4 ,w4 ,freer1 ,esq47 ,symphony in ,gray and ,green3 ,the ,ocean p4 #ahga4 7,r4 ,a4 ,canfield1 ,esq47 ,crepuscule in ,flesh ,color and ,green3 ,valparaiso p4 #ahga4 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,silver3 ,battersea p4 #ahgg4 7,chas4 ,w4 ,reach ,freer1 ,esq47 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,silver p4 #ahgg4 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,gold3 ,old ,battersea ,bridge 7,tate ,gallery1 ,london47 ,nocturne3 ,trafalgar ,square1 ,snow4 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,silver3 ,bognor4 7,chas4 ,w4 ,freer1 ,esq47 ,nocturne in ,opal and ,silver3 ,the ,music ,room4 ,nocturne in ,gray and ,gold3 ,chelsea1 ,snow4 ,nocturne in ,gray and ,gold3 ,westminster ,bridge4 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,gold3 ,southampton ,waters 7,art ,institute1 ,chicago47 ,nocturne in ,brown and ,silver3 ,old ,battersea ,bridge4 ,nocturne in ,blue and ,gold3 ,st4 ,mark's1 ,venice4 ,pink and ,gray3 ,chelsea 7,lord ,battersea47 ,nocturne in ,black and ,gold3 ,the p4 #ahg 7,mrs4 ,s4 ,untermyer7 ,falling ,rocket ,cremorne ,gardens 7,metropolitan ,museum1 ,n4,y47 ,an ,orange ,note3 ,sweet ,shop4 ,,index 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,lady ,archibald ,young1 #hg ,zaandam1 #aeh ,zola1 #ai ,zorn1 #hd1 #ada1 #aec 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,,punctuation ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 oe ligatures are shown thus3 oe 7e4g4 manoeuvred74 ,small capital text has been replaced with all capitals or with passages in title case4 ,obvious punctuation errors have been repaired2 however1 inconsistencies in hyphenation 7e4g4 every-day_/everyday7 have been retained4 ,,words ,,and ,,spelling pg #be3 ,grey changed to ,gray 7,the author of ,dorian ,gray7 pg #cb and #de3 ae normalised to 7,men of very dissimilar sthetic convictions7 7the sthetes of the ,empire7 pg #aaj and index3 ,d',oyle changed to ,d',oyly 7the home of ,mr4 ,d',oyly ,carte7 pg #aff3 ,word he added 7,i believe he himself knew7 pg #ahf3 ,laakoon changed to ,laokoon pg #bbg3 absorbant changed to absorbent 7painted on very absorbent canvas7 pg #bbg3 noctures changed to nocturnes 7,for the blue nocturnes7 pg #bbi3 frontpiece changed to frontispiece 7appears as the frontispiece7 pg #bda3 enlightment changed to enlightenment 7proof of enlightenment7 pg #bfc3 ,riks ,museum changed to ,rijks ,museum 7,rijks ,museum1 ,amsterdam7 pg #bfi3 ,hellew changed to ,helleu