,,recollections ,,and ,,impressions ,,of ,,james ,a4 ,mc,n,e,i,l,l ,,whistler ,illustration ,,recollections ,,and ,,impressions ,,of ,,james ,a4 ,,mcneill ,,whistler ,,by ,,arthur ,,jerome ,,eddy ,,author ,,of 8,,delight3 ,,the ,,soul ,,of ,,art10 ,,etc4 ,illustration ,,philadelphia ,,london ,j4 ,b4 ,,lippincott ,,company #aijc ,,copyright1 #aijc ,,by ,j4 ,b4 ,,lippincott ,,company ,published ,november1 #aijc ,electrotyped and ,printed by ,j4 ,b4 ,lippincott ,company1 ,philadelphia1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,to ,l4 ,o4 ,e4 ,this ,sixteenth ,day of ,september ,nineteen ,hundred and ,three ,illustration ,,foreword ,illustration3 text decoration ,most of what is contained herein has been collected from time to time within the past ten years and jotted down for use in certain lectures on ,whistler and his art4 ,the lectures were1 as is this book1 a tribute to the great painter4 ,the reminiscences are mostly personal4 ,many of the anecdotes--though perhaps equally familiar to others--were had from the artist's own lips4 ,the views concerning his art1 whether right or wrong1 were formed while watching him at work day after day1 and after many interviews in which1 now and then1 he would speak plainly concerning art4 ,at the same time not so much as a thought must be attributed to him unless expressly quoted4 ,the biographical data--just sufficient to furnish a connecting thread and aid in the appreciation--have been gathered from casual sources1 and are1 no doubt1 subject to incidental corrections4 ,only when a duly authorized 8life and letters0 is published by those who have access to the material that must exist will the great artist be known by the world as he really was--a profoundly earnest1 serious1 loving1 and lovable man4 ,meanwhile1 those who believe in his art must--like the writer--speak their convictions for what they are worth4 ,,contents ,illustration3 text decoration ,i ,,page ,why he never ,returned to ,america--,tariff on ,art--,south ,america--,valparaiso #ae ,,ii ,a ,family of ,soldiers--,grandfather founded ,chicago--,birth--,st4 ,petersburg--,west ,point--,coast ,survey--,his ,military ,spirit #be ,,iii ,an ,american--,the ,puritan ,element--,attitude of ,england and ,france--,racial and ,universal ,qualities in ,art--,art-,loving ,nations #dg ,,iv ,early ,days in ,paris and ,venice--,etchings1 ,lithographs1 and ,water-,colors--8,propositions0 and 8,ten o',clock0 #gi ,v ,chelsea--,the ,royal ,academy--8,portrait of ,his ,mother0--8,carlyle0--,grosvenor ,gallery--,the 8,peacock ,room0--,concerning ,exhibitions #aji ,,vi ,the ,ruskin ,suit--,his ,attitude towards the ,world and towards ,art--8,the ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies0--,critics and ,criticism #adj ,,vii ,supreme as a ,colorist--,color and ,music--,his ,susceptibility to ,color--,ruskin and ,color--,art and ,nature #agc ,,viii ,the ,royal ,society of ,british ,artists--,in ,paris once more--,at ,home and at ,work #bag ,,ix ,portrait-,painting--,how he ,differed from his ,great ,predecessors--,the 8,likeness0--,composition of ,color--,no ,commercial ,side--,baronet vs4 ,butterfly #bdd ,x ,the ,school of ,carmen--,in ,search of ,health--,chelsea once more--,the ,end #bgg ,index #bhi ,,illustrations ,illustration3 text decoration ,,page ,,whistler ,frontispiece4 ,from a sketch by ,rajon ,,crepuscule ,,in ,,flesh ,,color ,,and ,,green2 ,,valparaiso #bb ,,harmony ,,in ,,gray ,,and ,,green4 ,,portrait ,,of ,,miss ,,alexander #ej ,,the ,,lange ,,leizen--,,of ,,the ,,six ,,marks--,,purple ,,and ,,rose #eh ,,plate ,,made ,,while ,,in ,,the ,,employ ,,of ,,the ,,government ,,at ,,washington1 #ahed-ee #hh ,,arrangement ,,in ,,gray ,,and ,,black4 ,,portrait ,,of ,,the ,,painter',s ,,mother #aad ,,arrangement ,,in ,,black4 ,,la ,,dame ,,au ,,brodequine ,,jaune #abj ,,arrangement ,,in ,,gray ,,and ,,black4 ,,portrait ,,of ,,thomas ,,carlyle #abb ,,nocturne1 ,,black ,,and ,,gold4 ,,the ,,falling ,,rocket #adj ,,blue ,,and ,,silver2 ,,blue ,,wave1 ,,biarritz #agd ,,little ,,rose1 ,,lyme ,,regis #bgd ,,symphony ,,in ,,white1 ,,no4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,little ,,white ,,girl #bhb 8,this man1 who took no 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 beautiful--who perceived in ,nature about him curious curvings1 as faces are seen in the fire--this dreamer apart1 was the first artist40--,,whistler',s 8,ten o',clock40 ,,recollections ,,and ,,impressions ,,of ,,james ,a4 ,mc,n,e,i,l,l ,,whistler ,illustration ,i ,why he never ,returned to ,america--,tariff on ,art--,south ,america--,valparaiso4 ,now that the end has come and the master is no more1 the scattered sheaves of stories and anecdotes1 of facts and fancies1 of recollections and impressions may be gathered together from the four quarters1 and the story of his work be told1--not in detail1 not in sequence1 for some one will write his life1 but in fragmentary fashion as the thoughts occur4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for the better part of his life ,whistler fought the prejudices of all ,europe and of his own country4 ,he once said1 with a tinge of bitterness in his tone3 8,the papers in ,america seem content to publish second-hand whatever they find about me in ,english journals that is mean and vindictive or that savors of ridicule4 ,aside from the hopeless want of originality displayed in echoing the stupidities of others1 what has become of that boasted love of fair play8 ,even the phlegmatic ,englishman takes the part of a fellow-countryman against many--quite regardless2 but the ,american press--bully like--leans to the side of the bully and weakly cries1 bravo6 whenever the snarling pack on this side snaps at the heels of an ,american who mocks them at the doors of their own kennels4 8,one would think the ,american people would back a countryman--right or wrong--who is fighting against odds2 but for thirty years they laughed when the ,english laughed1 sneered when they sneered1 scoffed when they scoffed1 lied when they lied1 until1--well1 until it has been necessary to reduce both nations to submission40 ,for a time he worked without a word1 then3 8,but when ,france--in all things discerning--proclaimed the truth1 ,america--still blind--hastened to shout that she1 too1 saw the light1 and poured forth adulation ad nauseam40 8,but would you say that ,americans are as dense as the ,english80 8,heaven forbid that the ,englishman's one undeniable superiority be challenged2 but an ,englishman is so honest in his stupidity that one loves him for the--virtue2 whereas the ,american is a #8smart ,aleck' in his ignorance1 and therefore intolerable40 ,but that was years ago1 when the unconverted were more numerous on this side1--there are still a number of stubborn dissenters1 but in the chorus of praise their voices are scarce more than a few discordant notes4 ,of late ,whistler had but little cause to complain of lack of appreciation on this side1--for1 while an art so subtle as his is bound to be more or less misunderstood1 critics1 amateurs1 and a goodly portion of the public have for a long time acknowledged his greatness as an etcher1 a lithographer1 and a painter4 ,in fact1 for at least ten years past his works have been gradually coming to this country--where they belong4 ,england and ,scotland have been searched for prints and paintings until the great collections--much greater than the public know--of his works are here4 ,some day the ,american people will be made more fully acquainted with the beautiful things he has done1 many of which have never been seen save by a few intimate friends4 ,the struggle for recognition was long and bitter1--so long and so bitter that it developed in him the habits of controversy and whimsical irritability by which he was for a generation more widely known than through his art4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when it was once reported that he was going to ,america1 he said1 8,it has been suggested many times2 but1 you see1 ,i find art so absolutely irritating to the people that1 really1 ,i hesitate before exasperating another nation40 ,to another who asked him when he was coming1 he answered1 with emphasis1 8,when the duty on art is removed40 ,the duty on art was a source of constant irritation to ,whistler1--for1 while the works of ,american artists residing abroad are admitted free1 the artist is compelled to make oaths1 invoices1 and take out consular certificates1 and pay the consular fees in line with the shipper of olive oil and cheese4 ,there was even a time1 under the present law1 when the works of ,american painters were not admitted free4 ,the law reads1 the works of ,american artists 8residing temporarily abroad0 shall be admitted free1 etc4 ,some department at ,washington made an off-hand ruling that if an ,american artist had resided more than five years abroad his works would be subject to duty as those of a foreigner1 thereby expatriating with a stroke of the pen four-fifths of the ,americans who are working like dogs--but as artists--to make the world beautiful4 ,to ,whistler1 ,sargent1 and the many prosperous ones the ruling did not greatly matter1 but to the younger men who could not earn money enough to get home it did matter1 and for a time it looked as if ,american art in ,europe would be obliterated1--for ,american art in ,europe depends for its support and aggressiveness on the ,american artists over there4 ,drive these men home1 or expatriate them1 so as to compel them to cast their lots with ,france1 or ,england1 or ,italy1 and what would become of those ,american sections in foreign exhibitions which for at least a dozen years past have commanded the serious consideration of all thoughtful observers as containing elements of strength1 sobriety1 and promise found nowhere else in the entire world of art8 ,happily an appeal to the ,secretary of the ,treasury--a man interested in art--resulted in an immediate reversal of the ruling1 and the works of ,american artists come in free unless the artist declares his intention of residing abroad permanently4 ,but while the ban on ,american painting is lifted1 sculpture is in a bad way4 ,under the law only sculpture 8wrought by hand0 from marble or metal by the sculptor is to be classed as art4 ,inasmuch as the sculptor never did work bronze by hand1 and nowadays very rarely touches the marble1 there is no sculpture which comes within the law4 ,the federal courts of ,new ,york1 high and low1 have soberly held that unless it is shown that bronzes are 8wrought by hand0 by the sculptor1 instead of cast from plaster1 which in turn is made from the clay1 they are commercial products and classed with bronze cooking utensils at forty-five per cent4 duty4 ,however1 a federal judge in ,chicago1 somewhat more familiar with art processes1 has held that the ,new ,york decisions are arrant nonsense1 and original bronzes by ,rodin1 ,st4 ,gaudens1 and other sculptors1 made in the only known way of producing bronzes1 should be classed as art4 ,what other federal courts may hold--each1 under our wonderful system1 having the right to its opinion until the ,supreme ,court is called upon to finally end the differences--,heaven alone knows2 but for the present it behooves lovers of art to bring in their original bronzes and marbles by way of ,chicago4 ,these were some of the things ,whistler--in common with many an ordinary man--could not understand4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a few years ago an effort was made to have an exhibition of his pictures in ,boston4 ,he was appealed to1 but refused3 8,god bless me1 why should you hold an exhibition of pictures in ,america8 ,the people do not care for art40 8,how do you know8 ,you have not been there for many years40 8,how do ,i know6 ,why1 haven't you a law to keep out pictures and statues8 ,is it not in black and white that the works of the great masters must not enter ,america1 that they are not wanted----0 8,but----0 8,there are no #8buts' about it except the fool who butts his head against the barrier you have erected4 ,a people that tolerates such a law has no love for art1--their protestation is mere pretence40 ,that a great nation should deliberately discourage the importation of beautiful things1 should wallow in the mire of ugliness and refuse to be cleansed by art1 was to him a mystery1--for what difference does it make whether painting1 poetry1 and music come out of the ,east or out of the ,west1 so long as they add to the happiness of a people8 ,and why should painting and sculpture find the gate closed when poetry and music are admitted8 ,he did not know the petty commercial considerations which control certain of the painters and sculptors and some of the institutions supposed to be devoted to art4 ,for is not art the most 8infant0 of all the 8infant industries0 of this great commercial nation8 ,and should not the brush-worker at home be given his meed of protection against the pauper brush-workers of ,europe--even against ,rembrandt and ,velasquez and all the glorious ,italians8 ,beethoven and ,mendelssohn and ,mozart1 ,shakespeare and ,milton1--their works1 even their original manuscripts1 if in existence1 though costly beyond many paintings1 come in without let or hinderance2 but the work of the painter1 the original manuscript of the poet in line1 of the composer of harmonies in color1 may not cross the border without tribute4 ,a symphony in sound is welcomed2 a symphony in color is rejected4 ,why this discrimination in favor of the ear and against the eye8 ,there is no reason1 but an inordinate amount of selfishness1 in it all4 ,the wire-pulling painter at home1 backed up by the commercially-managed art institution1 makes himself felt in the chambers at ,washington where tariffs are arranged1 and painting and sculpture are removed from the free list and placed among the pots and kettles of commerce4 ,where is the poet and where is the musician in this distribution of advantages8 ,why should ,american poetry and ,american music be left to compete with the whole world while ,american painting and ,american sculpture are suitably encouraged by a tariff of twenty per cent48--a figure fixed1 no doubt1 as is the plea1 to make good the difference in wages1--pauper labor of ,europe1--pauper artists4 ,alas6 too true2 shut the vagabonds out that their aristocratic ,american confrres residing at home may maintain their 8standard of living40 99 99 99 99 99 ,of all the peoples on the face of the globe1 high and low1 civilized and savage1 there is just one that discourages the importation of the beautiful1 and that one happens to be the youngest and the richest of all--the one most in need of what it wilfully excludes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,notwithstanding all these reasons for not coming1 he had a great desire to visit this country1 and in letters to friends on this side he would again and again express his firm intention to come the following summer or winter1 as the season might be4 ,the death of ,mrs4 ,whistler1 some six years ago1 and his own ill health prevented1--but there was no lack of desire4 ,strangely enough1 he did take a sailing-ship for ,south ,america1 away back in the sixties1 and while there painted the 8,crepuscule in ,flesh ,color and ,green2 ,valparaiso0 and the 8,nocturne ,blue and ,gold2 ,valparaiso40 ,speaking of the voyage1 he said3 8,i went out in a slow sailing-ship1 the only passenger4 ,during the voyage ,i made quite a number of sketches and painted one or two sea-views1--pretty good things ,i thought at the time4 ,arriving in port1 ,i gave them to the purser to ,illustration take back to ,england for me4 ,on my return1 some time later1 ,i did not find the package1 and made inquiries for the purser4 ,he had changed ships and disappeared entirely4 ,many years passed1 when one day a friend1 visiting my studio1 said3 8#8,by the way1 ,i saw some marines by you in the oddest place you can imagine4' 8#8,where8' ,i asked1 amazed4 8#8,i happened in the room of an old fellow who had once been a purser on a ,south ,american ship1 and while talking with him saw tacked up on the wall several sketches which ,i recognized as yours4 ,i looked at them closely1 and asked the fellow where he got them4 8#88,oh1 these things10 he said2 8why1 a chap who went out with us once painted them on board1 off-hand like1 and gave them to me4 ,don't amount to much1 do they80 8#88,why1 man1 they are by ,whistler40 8#88,whistler10 he said1 blankly4 8,who's ,whistler80 8#88,why1 ,whistler the artist1--the great painter40 8#88,whistler1 ,whistler4 ,i believe that was his name4 ,but that chap warn't no painter4 ,he was just a swell who went out with the captain2 he thought he could paint some1 and gave me those things when we got to ,valparaiso4 ,no1 ,i don't care to let them go1--for1 somehow or other1 they look more like the sea than real pictures40'0 ,whistler made several attempts to find these sketches1 but without success4 ,as illustrating his facility of execution when time pressed1 he painted the 8,crepuscule in ,flesh ,color and ,green10 which is a large canvas and one of his best things1 at a single sitting1 having prepared his colors in advance of the chosen hour4 ,he could paint with the greatest rapidity when out-of-doors and it was important to catch certain effects of light and color4 ,in #ahid he exhibited in ,paris three small marines which were marvels of clearness1 force1 and precision2 he had painted them in a few hours while in a small boat1 which the boatman steadied against the waves as best he could4 ,he placed the canvas against the seat in front of him and worked away direct from nature4 ,,ii ,a ,family of ,soldiers--,grandfather founded ,chicago--,birth--,st4 ,petersburg--,west ,point--,coast ,survey--,his ,military ,spirit4 ,he came of a race of fighters4 ,the family is found towards the end of the fifteenth century in ,oxfordshire1 at ,goring and ,whitechurch on the ,thames2 one branch was connected with the ,websters of ,battle-,abbey1 and descendants still live in the vicinity2 another branch is in ,essex1 and from this sprang ,dr4 ,daniel ,whistler1 ,president of the ,college of ,physicians in ,london in the time of ,charles the ,second1 and described as 8a quaint gentleman of rare humor10 and frequently mentioned in 8,pepys's ,diary40 ,from the ,oxfordshire branch1 one ,ralph1 a son of ,hugh ,whistler of ,goring1 went to ,ireland and founded the ,irish branch from which sprang ,major ,john ,whistler1 the first representative of the family in ,america1 and grandfather of the painter4 ,major ,whistler was a ,british soldier under ,burgoyne1 and was taken prisoner at the battle of ,saratoga4 ,at the close of the war he returned to ,england and made a runaway match with the daughter of a ,sir ,edward ,bishop4 ,returning to this country with his wife1 he settled at ,hagerstown1 ,maryland1 and soon after enlisted in the ,american army4 8,he was made a sergeant-major in a regiment that was called #8the infantry regiment4' ,afterwards he was adjutant of ,garther's regiment of the levies of #agia1 which brought him into ,general ,st4 ,glair's command4 ,he was severely wounded ,november #d1 #agia1 in a battle with the ,indians on the ,miami ,river4 ,in #agib #8the regiment of infantry' was1 by ,act of ,congress1 designated as the #8,first ,regiment1' and to this ,john ,whistler was assigned as first lieutenant4 ,in ,november1 #agif1 he was promoted to the adjutancy1 and in ,july1 #agig1 he was commissioned a captain40 ,while captain of the 8,first ,regiment10 then stationed at ,detroit1 he was1 in #ahjc1 ordered to proceed to the present site of the city of ,chicago and construct ,fort ,dearborn4 ,he and his command arrived on ,august #ag1 at two o'clock in the afternoon1 and at once staked out the ground and began the erection of palisades for protection against the ,indians4 ,the captain had with him at the time one son1 ,william1 who was a lieutenant in the army1 and who was commander of ,fort ,dearborn in #ahcc1 when the fort was finally abandoned as a military post4 ,another son1 ,john1 remained in the ,east4 ,on the completion of the fort the captain brought out the remaining members of his family1--his wife1 five daughters1 and his third son1 ,george1 then but three years old1 and afterwards the father of the artist4 8,the daughters were ,sarah1 who married ,james ,abbott1 of ,detroit1--the ceremony took place in the fort1 shortly after the family came2 the wedding-trip was made to ,detroit on horseback1 over an ,indian trail and the old territorial road2 they had two nights of camping out2 their effects were carried on pack-horses1--,ann1 married ,major ,marsh1 of the army2 ,catherine1 married ,major ,hamilton1 of the army2 ,harriet1 married ,captain ,phelan1 also of the army2 ,caroline--eight months old when her father built ,fort ,dearborn--was married in ,detroit1 in #ahdj1 to ,william ,r4 ,wood1 of ,sandwich1 ,georgia40 ,when the army was reduced in ,june1 #ahae1 ,major ,whistler was retired1 and in #ahah appointed military storekeeper at ,jefferson ,barracks1 ,st4 ,louis4 ,he died at ,bellefontaine1 ,missouri1 in #ahbg4 8,he was a brave officer and became the progenitor of a line of brave and efficient soldiers40 ,to a visitor from ,chicago the artist once said3 8,chicago1 dear me1 what a wonderful place6 ,i really ought to visit it some day1--for1 you know1 my grandfather founded the city and my uncle was the last commander of ,fort ,dearborn40 99 99 99 99 99 ,george ,washington ,whistler1 the father of the painter1 became an engineer of great reputation1 rose to the rank of major1 and in #ahdb accepted the invitation of ,czar ,nicholas to superintend the construction of the ,st4 ,petersburg and ,moscow ,railroad1 and it is said that1 with the exception of ,john ,quincy ,adams1 no ,american in ,russia was held in such high estimation4 ,major ,whistler has been described as a very handsome man2 he had rather long curling hair which framed a most agreeable face4 8,he might have been taken for an artist1 rather than for a military engineer4 ,yet he was1 in every sense1 a manly man1 with most attractive expression and ways40 ,whistler's mother--his father's second wife--was ,anna ,mathilda ,mc,neill1 a daughter of ,dr4 ,c4 ,d4 ,mc,neill1 of ,wilmington1 ,north ,carolina4 ,so much for the stock from which ,whistler sprang1 a line of able men and good fighters4 ,in a roundabout way he must have inherited some of the traits of that 8quaint gentleman of rare humor0 so frequently mentioned by garrulous ,samuel ,pepys1 who says in one place1 8,dr4 ,whistler told a pretty story4444 ,their discourse was very fine2 and if ,i should be put out of my office1 ,i do take great content in the liberty ,i shall be at of frequenting these gentlemen's company40 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is reported that ,whistler once stated he was born in ,st4 ,petersburg1 and he certainly seemed to take delight in mystifying people as to the date and place of his birth1--part of his habitual indifference to the sober requirements of those solemn meta-physical entities ,time and ,space4 ,one friend has insisted in print upon ,baltimore as his birthplace1 another upon ,stonington1 ,connecticut4 ,his model once asked him3 8,where were you born80 8,i never was born1 my child2 ,i came from on high40 ,quite unabashed1 the model retorted3 8,now1 that shows how easily we deceive ourselves in this world1 for ,i should say you came from below40 ,the ,salon catalogue of #ahhb referred to him as 8,mc,neill ,whistler1 born in the ,united ,states40 ,his aversion to discussing dates1 the lapse of years1 the time it would take to paint a portrait1 or do anything else1 amounted to a superstition4 ,for him time did not exist4 ,he did not carry a watch1 and no obtrusive clock was to be seen or heard anywhere about him4 ,he did not believe in mechanical devices for nagging and prompting much-goaded humanity4 ,if he were invited to dinner1 it was always the better part of wisdom to order the dinner at least a half-hour later than the moment named in the invitation4 ,he once had an engagement to dine with some distinguished people in a distant part of ,london4 ,a friend who wished to be on time was waiting for him in the studio4 ,it was growing late1 but ,whistler kept on painting1 more and more absorbed4 8,my dear fellow10 his friend urged at last1 8it is frightfully late1 and you have to dine with ,lady ----4 ,don't you think you'd better stop80 8,stop80 fairly shrieked ,whistler4 8,stop1 when everything is going so beautifully8 ,go and stuff myself with food when ,i can paint like this8 ,never6 ,never6 ,besides1 they won't do anything until ,i get there1--they never do60 ,an official connected with an international art exhibition was about to visit ,paris to consult with the artists4 ,to save time1 he sent notes ahead making appointments at his hotel with the different men at different hours4 ,to ,whistler he sent a note fixing a day at 8#d4cj precisely10 whereupon ,whistler regretfully replied3 8,,dear ,,sir3 ,i have received your letter announcing that you will arrive in ,paris on the--th4 ,i congratulate you4 ,i never have been able1 and never shall be able1 to be anywhere at #8#d4cj precisely4' 8,yours most faithfully1 8,j4 ,,mcn4 ,,whistler40 ,to the stereotyped inquiry of the sitter3 8,about how many sittings do you require1 ,mr4 ,whistler80 8,dear me1 how can ,i tell8 ,perhaps one1 perhaps--more40 8,but--can't you give me some idea1 so ,i can arrange----0 8,bless me1 but you must not permit the doing of so trivial a thing as a portrait to interfere with the important affairs of life4 ,we will just paint in those odd moments when you have nothing better to do40 8,suppose ,i am compelled to leave the city before it is finished80 8,you will return next summer1 and we will resume where we left off1 as the continued-story-teller says40 ,and no amount of persuasion could get him to say when he expected to finish a work4 ,he would frequently say3 8,we will just go ahead as if there were one long holiday before us1 without thinking of the end1 and some day1 when we least expect it1 the picture is finished2 but if we keep thinking of the hours instead of the work1 it may never come to an end40 ,this indifference to time kept him young--to the very last4 ,he persistently refused to note the flight of years4 ,there was once a very old ,indian1 how old no one knew1 in ,northern ,michigan who1 when asked his age by the pertinaciously curious1 always replied1 8,i do not count the years2 white people do--and die40 99 99 99 99 99 ,his father went to ,lowell1 ,massachusetts1 in #ahcd to take charge of the construction of the canals and locks4 ,he resided in a house on ,worthen ,street1 and there ,whistler was born on ,july #aj4 ,in a history of ,lowell it is stated that ,whistler was probably born in what was known as the ,paul ,moody house1 a fine old house which stood on the site of the present city hall2 but quite possibly the family occupied a house owned by the proprietors of the locks and canals1 which still stands and is pointed out as the 8,locks and ,canal house40 ,the old parish book of ,st4 ,anne's ,episcopal ,church contains the following entry under #ahcd3 8,nov4 #i1 ,baptized ,james ,abbott1 infant son of ,george ,washington and ,anna ,mathilda ,whistler4 ,sponsors1 the parents4 ,t4 ,edson40 ,rev4 ,theodore ,edson was the rector of the church4 ,the adoption of his mother's maiden name1 ,mc,neill1 as part of his own was apparently an afterthought4 ,he had two brothers1 ,william and ,kirke1 a half-brother1 ,george1 and a half-sister1 ,deborah1 who married ,seymour ,haden1 the well-known physician and etcher1 who figures in 8,gentle ,art0 as the 8,surgeon-etcher40 ,of the brothers1 ,kirke died young1 ,george remained in this country1 ,william became a well-known physician in ,london1 dying a few years ago4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the family afterwards spent a short time in ,stonington1 where ,major ,whistler had charge of the construction of the railroad to ,providence4 ,they used to drive to church in ,westerly in a chaise fitted with railway wheels1 so as to travel on the tracks4 ,there were no ,sunday trains in those days1 so the track was clear4 ,an ingenious device enabled the horse to cross the culverts4 ,a locomotive named 8,whistler0 after the distinguished engineer--a felicitous name--was in use until comparatively few years ago4 ,in the spring of #ahdj ,major ,whistler was appointed consulting engineer for the ,western ,railroad1 running from ,springfield to ,albany1 and the family moved to ,springfield and lived in what 8is now known as ,ethan ,chapin homestead1 on ,chestnut ,street1 north of ,edwards ,street40 ,old residents of the vicinity claim to remember 8well the curly locks and bright1 animated countenance of the boy10 and that the three boys 8were always full of mischief10--not an uncommon trait in youngsters1 probably still less uncommon in ,whistlers4 ,shortly after the railroad to ,albany was opened a wreck occurred1 and a niece of ,major ,whistler1 who was on her way to visit him1 was badly injured4 ,she was taken to his house1 and it was a long time before she recovered4 ,the accident made a strong impression on ,whistler1 and possibly accounts for some of the dislike he often showed towards travelling alone4 ,it was only in crossing crowded streets and in the confusion and bustle of travel that he showed what might be called nervousness4 ,with characteristic gallantry he would offer a lady his arm to aid her in crossing the ,strand or the ,boulevard1 but he made sure of the places of refuge and took no chances2 if in a hurry1 she would better cross alone4 ,once1 not many years ago1 he was at ,dieppe1 and wrote a friend in ,paris almost daily that he would be in the city to see him4 ,a week passed1 and the friend1 fearing he would be obliged to leave without seeing ,whistler1 wrote him he would come to ,dieppe and see the work he was doing there1 to which suggestion ,whistler replied most cordially by wire4 ,the friend packed and went1 expecting to stay a night or two at least2 but1 lo6 ,whistler1 bag in hand1 met him in the village to take the next train back2 whereupon the friend1 much surprised1 said3 8,if you intended going to ,paris to-day1 why under the sun did you let me ride half a day to get here80 8,well1 you see1 ,i don't like to travel alone2 happy thought yours to come down after me40 ,and back they went1 after a delightful luncheon in that little old restaurant near the cathedral1 where there is an ancient stone trough filled with water for cooling and cleaning vegetables4 ,the luncheon1 the way it was ordered1 and the running fire of comment and directions by ,whistler to the stout old woman who did it all1 were worth the journey to ,dieppe4 ,whistler will be mourned more by these lowly people who used to serve him with pleasure1 because he took such a vital interest in what they did1 than by many who own his works4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a diary kept by the artist's mother contains this entry1 under date of ,july #aj1 #ahdd3 8,a poem selected by my darling ,jamie1 and put under my plate at the breakfast-table1 as a surprise on his tenth birthday40 ,the little poem of twelve lines was addressed 8,to ,my ,mother10 and subscribed 8,your ,little ,james40 ,when the boy was eleven years old1 ,sir ,william ,allen1 a ,scotch painter1 visited the family4 ,mrs4 ,whistler's diary contains the following entry3 8,the chat then turned upon the subject of ,sir ,william ,allen's painting of ,peter the ,great teaching the majiks to make ships4 ,this made ,jimmie's eyes express so much interest that his love for the art was discovered1 and ,sir ,william must needs see his attempts4 ,when my boys had said good-night1 the great artist remarked to me1 #8,your little boy has uncommon genius1 but do not urge him beyond his inclination4' ,i told him his gift had only been cultivated as an amusement1 and that ,i was obliged to interfere1 or his application would confine him more than we approved40 ,the diary records the same year a visit to the old palace at ,peterhoff1 where 8our ,jimmie was so saucy as to laugh0 at ,peter's own paintings4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when ,major ,whistler first went to ,russia he left 8,jamie0 for a time in ,stonington with his aunt1 and the two older children1 ,george and ,deborah1 in ,england4 ,after the death of ,major ,whistler1 in ,st4 ,petersburg1 in #ahdi1 the wife and children returned to this country1 and lived for a time in ,connecticut4 ,whistler wished to enter ,west ,point1 and he persuaded his half-brother to write ,daniel ,webster1 to enlist his sympathy4 ,the letter was dated ,february #ai1 #ahea4 ,it referred to the father's career and services and asked that ,james be appointed to the ,academy4 ,he was appointed by ,president ,fillmore1 and entered ,july #a1 #ahea1 registering from ,pomfret1 ,windham ,county1 ,connecticut1 where his mother was then living4 ,whistler was so small in stature and physique that it is surprising he was received2 the military record of his family was no doubt the controlling consideration4 ,he possessed all the pugnacity and courage required for a soldier1 and the military spirit was strong in him1 yet such was his bent towards art that his career at the ,academy was not one of glory2 but he became very popular with his comrades and probably led in all their mischievous pranks4 ,the official records show that at the end of the first year1 in #aheb1 he stood forty-one in a class of fifty-two1--his standing in the different studies being as follows3 ,mathematics #dg1 ,english studies #ea1 ,french #i4 ,at the end of his second year he stood number one in drawing1 but was not examined in other studies1 being absent with leave on account of ill health4 ,in #ahed his standing was as follows3 ,philosophy #ci1 ,drawing #a1 ,chemistry deficient4 ,for his deficiency in chemistry he was discharged from the ,academy on ,june #af1 #ahed4 ,a lady once asked him why he left the ,academy1 and he replied3 8,if silicon had been a gas1 madame1 ,i should have been a soldier40 ,on leaving ,west ,point he took it into his head that ,fate had intended him for a sailor1 and he tried to enter the ,naval ,academy at ,annapolis1 but he could not get the appointment4 ,through an old friend of the family1 ,captain ,benham1 of the ,coast and ,geodetic ,survey1 he was employed as draughtsman in that department in ,washington from ,november #g1 #ahed1 to ,february #ab1 #ahee1 at one dollar and a half a day4 ,in these days he signed himself ,james ,a4 ,whistler4 ,his lodgings were in an old house still standing on the northeast corner of ,e and ,twelfth ,streets4 ,he was always late to breakfast1 and scribbled pictures on the unpapered walls4 ,when the landlord objected1 he said3 8,now1 now1 never mind2 ,i'll not charge you anything for the decoration40 ,neither time nor the rules of the department had any terrors for him4 ,even in those early days he was a law unto himself4 ,in one instance the following entry appears against his name3 8,two days absent and two days deducted from monthly pay for time lost by coming late to office40 ,to correct these dilatory habits ,captain ,benham conceived the brilliant idea of having a fellow-clerk of punctual habits call each morning for ,whistler and bring him to the office on time4 ,the captain believed that the example and influence of a more methodical companion would reform the erring one and get him to the office at nine o'clock2 but it turned out quite otherwise1 for ,whistler proved so charming a host each morning that both were late4 ,at the end of a week the mentor reported that his efforts were wasted and unless relieved he1 too1 would acquire the obnoxious habit1 for each morning ,whistler managed to so interest him in the mysteries of coffee-making and the advantages of late breakfasts that it was impossible to get away4 ,of him and his habits in those days a fellow-draughtsman1#a who is still in the service1 says3 8,he was about one year younger than myself1 and therefore about twenty years old at that time4 ,he stayed but a little over three months1 and ,i have not met him since1 but retain a more vivid recollection of his sojourn than of that of many other draughtsmen who succeeded him and remained much longer4 ,this may be partly for the reason that ,captain ,benham1 who was then in charge of the office1 told me that ,whistler's father had been a star graduate of ,west ,point and a distinguished engineer1 and requested me to be attentive to the new appointee2 it may also be for the reason that there was something peculiar about ,whistler's person and actions quite at variance with the ordinary run of my experience4 8,his style of dress indicated an indifference to fashion which1 under circumstances1 might be changed into emancipation when fashion1 for instance1 went into extremes and exacted personal discomforts4 ,i certainly cannot remember ,whistler with a high-standing collar and silk hat1 which was then the universal custom4 ,classical models seemed to be his preference1 a short circular cloak and broad-brimmed felt hat gave him a finish which reminded one of some of ,rembrandt's celebrated portraits4 ,his tout ensemble had a strong tinge of ,bohemianism which suggested that his tastes and habits had been acquired in ,paris1 or1 more concisely speaking1 in the ,quartier ,latin2 indeed1 he always spoke of ,paris with enthusiasm4 ,his manners were those of an easy self-reliance which conveyed the impression that he was a man who minded his own business1 but that it would not be exactly safe to cross his paths4 8,at the time of his engagement as draughtsman at the office not the slightest doubt was entertained of his skill and ability to fill his post1 and it was the principal concern of ,captain ,benham to get him sufficiently interested in his work to engage his serious attention4 ,it was1 however1 soon apparent that he considered topographical drawing as a tiresome drudgery1 and when he was put on etching views on copper plate1 this occupation1 although more congenial to his tastes1 was yet too monotonous and mechanical and did not afford sufficient scope to his peculiar talent for sketching off-hand figures and to make him feel contented4 ,any odd moment he could snatch from his work he was busy in throwing off his impromptu compositions on the margins of his drawings or plate2 odd characters1 such as monks1 knights1 beggars1 seemed to be his favorites4 ,he was equally skilful with pen and ink1 pencil1 brush and sepia after the ,spanish style1 or dry point in the ,english1 and often ,i was struck by the facility and rapidity with which he evolved his inventions1 there never was the shadow of a dilemma or even hesitancy4 8,from the very start he never was punctual in attendance1 and as time wore on he would absent himself for days and weeks without tendering any excuse4 ,as far as ,i remember1 nobody1 except ,captain ,benham1 cared to speak to ,whistler about his irregularity1 for the reason that it was certain that no thanks would be earned and that it would not have made the slightest difference in his habits4 ,howsoever that may have been1 ,colonel ,porterfield1 the clerk1 was a strict accountant1 and his monthly reports told the whole story4 ,thus in one month two days were deducted from ,whistler's pay for time lost in coming late to office1 and in ,january1 #ahee1 he was credited with but six and one-half days' work1 which reduced his scant pay to a mere pittance4 8,under these circumstances three months were quite sufficient length of time for ,whistler and the office to realize that the employment of ,whistler as a draughtsman was an experiment destined to be a failure1 and ,i do not think that a trace of ill feeling was retained when it was concluded by both parties to effect a separation and let each one go his own way40 ,at that time ,edward de ,stoeckl was charge d'affaires of the ,russian embassy4 ,he had known ,major ,whistler in ,st4 ,petersburg1 and he took a great fancy to his son4 ,one day ,whistler invited him to dinner1 and this is the account of what happened3 8,whistler engaged a carriage and called for his distinguished friend4 ,as they drove on1 ,whistler turned to the diplomat and asked him if he would object to their stopping at several places on the way4 ,m4 de ,stoeckl1 amused at the unconventionality of the request1 assented1 and his young host then directed the coachman to a greengrocer's1 a confectioner's1 a tobacconist's1 and to several other tradesmen4 8,after visiting each of these he would reappear with his arms filled with packages1 which he deposited on the vacant seat of the carriage4 ,at last the two brought up at ,whistler's lodgings4 ,after a climb up many stairs the representative of the ,czar of all the ,russias found himself in ,whistler's attic4 8,quite out of breath1 he was obliged to sit down1 too exhausted to speak1 during which time ,whistler flitted hither and thither1 snipping a lettuce into shape for the salad1 drying the oysters1 browning the biscuit1 preparing the cheese1 and in an incredibly short time setting a sumptuous repast before his astonished guest1 who was delighted with the unique hospitality of the host40 ,a comrade in office describes ,whistler's appearance in those days3 8,he was very handsome1 graceful1 dressed in good taste1 with a leaning towards the style of the artist in the selection of his clothing4 ,his hair was a blue-black and worn very long1 and the bushy appearance seemed to give one the impression that each separate hair was curled4 ,always at this time he wore a large slouch hat and a loose coat1 generally unbuttoned1 and thrown back so that the waistcoat was plainly seen40 ,he never changed very much from that description1 save that his hair became slightly gray1 and one lock directly over the forehead turned completely white very prematurely4 ,to this white lock ,whistler took a great fancy1 and it is visible in the portraits and drawings he made of himself4 ,his hair was naturally very curly1--an inheritance from his father1--and out of the mass of black curls the white lock would spring with almost uncanny effect4 ,to the very end he was extremely fastidious in his dress4 ,in the days when threadbare coats were a luxury he wore them spotlessly clean1 and carried old and worn garments in such a manner that they appeared as if made for the occasion4 ,in his studio and while at work he was never mussy or untidy2 he had more than a woman's notion of neatness4 ,he was not only very careful of his clothes1 but they must be buttoned and adjusted just so before he would make his appearance4 ,on him a frock coat was never stiff and ungraceful1 and somehow he managed to dissipate the dreary formality of evening dress4 ,it was always a pleasure to see him enter a room2 while on the street he was1 in his earlier ,london days1 exceedingly picturesque4 ,he was very particular concerning his hats4 ,in the latter ,paris days he always wore a most carefully-brushed silk hat with flat brim1--the ,quartier-,latin type4 ,this1 with his monocle--for on the street he wore a monocle--and his long overcoat1 made him an exceedingly striking figure4 ,one day he was in a shop1 trying on a hat1 when a dissatisfied customer rushed in1 and1 mistaking him for some one in charge1 said3 8,i say1 this 'at doesn't fit40 ,eyeing him critically a moment1 ,whistler said3 8,neither does your coat40 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler was thoroughly imbued with the military spirit2 and if he had not been a great artist he would have made a good officer4 ,he was born to command1 and possessed physical courage of a high order4 ,in stature and physique he was short and very slight1--could not have weighed more than one hundred and thirty pounds2 but he was so perfectly proportioned that one did not notice his size except when in sharp contrast with others4 ,notwithstanding his inferiority in size and strength1 he never in his life had the slightest hesitation in striking a man--even at the risk of annihilation--if he deemed the occasion required it4 ,a good many years ago the editor of a gossipy sheet in ,london1 called the ,hawk1 printed some items of a personal nature which ,whistler resented4 ,not knowing the editor by sight1 ,whistler took a friend to point him out in the foyer of one of the ,london theatres4 ,although the man was a giant compared with ,whistler1 the latter1 without a moment's hesitation1 went up to him and struck him across the face with a cane1 saying with each blow1 8,hawk1 ,hawk1 ,hawk40 ,the editor afterwards boasted that he immediately knocked ,whistler down4 ,whistler claimed he slipped and fell2 but1 he said3 8,what difference does it make whether he knocked me down or whether ,i slipped8 ,the fact is he was publicly caned1 and what happened afterwards could not offset the publicity and nature of this chastisement4 ,a gentleman lightly strikes another in the face with a glove2 the bully thinks the insult is wiped out if he knocks some one down--the ethics of the prize ring2 but according to the older notions the gentleman knows that the soft touch of the glove cannot be effaced by a blow of the fist1--for if it could1 superiority in weight would render the cad and the bully immune4 ,the historical fact is that ,i publicly drew my cane across his face2 no one cares anything about his subsequent ragings1 or whether ,i slipped and fell1 or whether he trampled upon me40 ,again1 when an artist went up to him in the ,hogarth ,club in ,london and called him a liar and a coward1 ,whistler promptly slapped his face4 ,so far as controversies with opponents were concerned1 he was courageous to the point of indifference2 but1 as already noted1 in crossing busy streets and making his way through the hurly-burly of city life he was as careful1 not to say timid1 as a woman2 he had many superstitions which influenced his actions4 ,one afternoon he said to a sitter3 8,to-morrow1 you know1 we won't work40 8,why not80 8,well1 you see1 it's ,friday2 and last ,friday1 you remember1 what a bad time we had1--accomplished nothing4 ,an unlucky day anyway4 ,we'll take a holiday to-morrow40 99 99 99 99 99 ,the military spirit clung to him through life1 and he was ever in the habit of referring to his experience at ,west ,point as if it were the one entirely satisfactory episode in his career4 ,he called himself a 8,west-,pointer10 and insisted that the ,academy was the one institution in the country the superiority of which to everything of its kind in the world was universally admitted4 8,why1 you know1 ,west ,point is ,america40 ,though living in ,paris at the time and the sympathy of all ,france was with ,spain1 he lost no opportunity for upholding the ,united ,states in the war4 ,he could see no flaw in the attitude or the diplomacy of this country1 and was especially eloquent over the treatment of ,admiral ,cervera after his defeat4 ,on the other hand1 such was his ingrained dislike for ,england that he lost no opportunity for declaiming against her war in ,south ,africa4 ,he delighted in berating the ,english and in prodding any ,english sympathizer who happened in his way4 ,one day a friend from this side1 of ,irish birth1 but who sided with ,england1 was in his studio1 and the discussion waxed warm until the visitor said3 8,i'll be dashed if ,i'll talk with you1 ,whistler4 ,what do you know about the matter8 ,nothing at all40 ,after a short silence1 ,whistler said3 8,but1 ,i say1 ,c----1 do you remember how the ,boers whipped the ,dublin ,fusileers80 ,whereupon the air became sulphurous4 ,the friend afterwards remarked3 8,there was nothing in the malicious innuendo anyway1 for1 you know1 those regiments are recruited from all quarters1 and there may not have been a single ,irishman in the ,fusileers at the time of the fight40 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler held some extraordinary opinions concerning the ,dreyfus case1 the outcome of his strong military bias4 ,it did not matter to him whether the accused was guilty or not1 the prestige of the army must be maintained1 even at the sacrifice of the innocent1--the view which led the military section of ,france to such violent extremes against ,dreyfus1--and ,whistler resented the assaults upon the army as treachery to the most sacred institution of the state4 ,to the civilian this military bias which leads men in all countries to such extremes in judgments and actions is incomprehensible4 ,the attitude of the military mind towards the ordinary problems of life1 towards the faults and failings of men1 towards petty transgressions and disobediences1 towards rank1 routine1 and discipline1 towards the courtesies and sympathies and affections which are the leavening influences of life1 cannot be understood by the lay mind4 ,the soldier's training and occupation are such that he does not think1 feel1 and act as an ordinary man2 his standards1 convictions1 and ethics are fundamentally different2 so different that he requires his own territory1 his own laws1 and his own tribunals4 ,with the soldier the maxim of ordinary justice that it is better that ten guilty should go free than one innocent be condemned is reversed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,by birth1 by tradition1 by association1 ,whistler was thoroughly saturated with this spirit2 and it affected his conduct and his attitude towards people throughout his life4 ,it accounts for much of the impatience1 the arrogance1 the intolerance1 the combativeness1 the indifference to the feelings of others with which he is charged1 or rather overcharged1 for much of what is said is exaggeration4 ,no man can be reared in an atmosphere of authority and blind obedience to authority without losing something of that give-and-take spirit which softens life's asperities4 ,therefore1 in any estimate of ,whistler's character and of his conduct towards others1 the influence of these very unusual early associations and conditions must be taken into account and due allowance made4 ,,iii ,an ,american--,the ,puritan ,element--,attitude of ,england and ,france--,racial and ,universal ,qualities in ,art--,art-,loving ,nations4 ,of ,whistler's innate and aggressive ,americanism this is the place to speak4 ,english in origin1 the family became ,irish and then ,american4 ,in blood he was doubly removed from ,england1 first by ,irish progenitors1 then by ,american1 and in his entire make-up1 physical and intellectual1 he was so absolutely un-,english that to the day of his death he was an object of curious observation and wondering comment wherever he went1 in even so cosmopolitan a city as ,london4 ,there was nothing he loved better than to surprise1 mystify1 confuse1 and confound the stolid ,briton4 ,and though he lived most of his life in ,chelsea and came back there to spend his last days1 he was from the very beginning and remained until the end a stranger in a strange land1 a solitary soul in the midst of an uncongenial1 unsympathetic1 unappreciative1 unloving people4 ,so little does ,england care for him or his art1 or1 more truly1 so prejudiced is the nation against him as an impertinent interloper1 who for more than a generation disturbed the serenity of her art household1 that the ,national ,museum has no example of his work4 ,needless to say1 if he had been ,english1 or had come from the remotest of ,england's outlying possessions1 ,english paperdom and ,english officialdom would have claimed him as their own1 condoned his eccentricities1 and bought his works with liberal hand4 99 99 99 99 99 ,during the days of his greatest poverty and distress1 when even ,france turned stupidly aside from things she soon came to worship1 and ,england was jeering clumsily1 and all nations repudiated him1--our own the loudest of all1--he really seemed to be 8a man without a country10 and1 beyond question1 the injustice1 the bitterness of it all entered deep into his soul and remained4 ,but whatever the folly1 the blindness1 the stupidity of a country1 though it seek to cast off a child so brilliant he is not understood1 the ties remain2 however strained1 they cannot be broken4 ,nothing that ,america can do suffices to make an ,englishman or a ,frenchman or a ,german out of an ,american1--the man himself may take on a foreign veneer1 but beneath the surface he belongs where blood and birth have placed him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,he was infinitely more of an ,american than thousands who live at home and ape the manners of ,europe4 ,he came from a line of ancestors so distinctively and aggressively ,american that he could not have turned out otherwise had he tried4 ,he was not even an ,anglo-,american or a ,franco-,american1 but of all the types and races which go to make the ,american people he was in blood1 appearance1 alertness1 combativeness1 wit1 and a thousand and one traits1 an exceedingly refined illustration of the ,irish-,american2 and because of his ,irish blood1 with perhaps some ,scotch on his mother's side1 he was never in sympathy with anything ,english1 but was now and then somewhat in sympathy with many things ,french1 though the points of sympathetic contact were so slight and superficial that he could not live contentedly for any length of time in ,paris4 ,in his art1 his convictions1 and his conventions he was altogether too profound1 too serious1 too earnest--one might with truth say1 too puritanical--to find the atmosphere of ,paris altogether congenial4 ,his great portraits might have come from the studio of a ,covenanter1 but never from a typical ,paris atelier4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,puritan element which is to be found in every ,american achievement1 whether in war1 in art1 or in literature1 though often deeply hidden1 is conspicuous in ,whistler's work1 though he himself would probably have been the first to deny it2 and it is this element of sobriety1 of steadfastness1 of undeviating adherence to convictions and ideals that constitutes the firm foundation of his art1 of his many brilliant and beautiful superstructures of fancy4 ,only a ,puritan at heart could have painted the 8,carlyle10 8,his ,mother10 and that wonderful child portrait1 8,miss ,alexander40 ,only a ,puritan at heart could have painted the mystery of night with all his tender1 loving1 religious sympathy4 ,only a ,puritan at heart could have exhibited as he did in everything he touched those infinitely precious qualities of reserve1 of delicacy1 of refinement1 which are the conspicuous characteristics of his work4 ,concerning his refinement some one has very truly remarked3 8,he so hated everything ugly or unclean that1 even in the club smoking-rooms 7where one may sometimes hear rather ,rabelaisian tales71 he never told a story which could not have been repeated in the presence of modest women4 ,his personal daintiness was extreme4 ,threadbare coats on him were never shabby4 ,he had to wear too many threadbare garments1 poor fellow6 for1 inasmuch as he put the integrity of his art before everything else1 he never stooped to make those #8pretty' things which would have brought him a fortune1 without doubt4 ,he was abstemious in his living1 simple in all that he did1--his exquisite1 sure taste preventing him from extremes1 gaudiness1 or untidiness40 ,and when he lent his support1 some eight years ago1 to the school kept by ,carmen ,rossi1 who as a child had been one of his models1 he would not tolerate the study of the nude by mixed classes1 and1 in fact1 introduced many rules and restrictions which were considered by even ,american pupils as 8puritanical0 in the extreme1 and which the ,french could not understand at all4 ,illustration ,he never painted any large and aggressive nudes1 such as abound in ,french art1 such as1 in a way1 may be said to characterize ,french art and mark its attitude towards life2 but he made many drawings in water-color and pastel1 and painted some oils1 all1 however1 exquisitely refined1 the element of the nude being in every instance subordinated to the artistic scheme and intention4 ,many of these drawings have never been exhibited4 ,when seen they will go far towards demonstrating the puritanical element in ,whistler4 ,in his intolerance towards the methods1 convictions1 and ideals of others he exhibited some of the spirit of the ,puritan zealot who knows no creed but his own4 ,concerning his ,americanism1 one who knew him says3#b 8,upon the known facts of ,whistler's career ,i do not touch4 ,i wish only to underline his ,americanism1 and to offer you one or two personal memories4 ,he was #8an ,american of the ,americans1' say the ,american papers1 and who shall venture to dispute their dictum8 ,not ,i1 certainly4 ,nor would anybody who knew ,whistler personally4 ,i knew him for many years in ,london and in ,paris4 ,i have many letters from him on art and other matters1 some of which ought to be printed1 for his letters to friends were not less works of art than those which he composed more carefully for print4 ,i have books and drawings which he gave me4 ,i mention these things as evidence that ,i may fairly say something about him1 at least on the personal side4 ,and ,i knew on what terms he lived with the so-called art world in ,england1 and what his own view of the matter was40 ,and an ,english writer said1 some ten years ago3#c 8,it should not be forgotten in ,america that ,mr4 ,whistler is an ,american of ,americans4 ,it may therefore be appropriately asked1 ,what has ,america done for him8 ,it has treated him with--if possible--even more ignorance than ,england2 this1 of course1 coming from the desire of the ,anglomaniac to out-,english the ,english40 ,and there are others whose testimony will be forthcoming some day to show how wholly and absolutely ,american he was to the very core and centre of his being1 and in his attitude towards all countries and peoples of ,europe4 ,it is true he said many harsh1 bitter1 and cutting things concerning the press and people of this country1 that he frequently exhibited in the ,english sections of art exhibitions in preference to those of his own country2 but for all these things there were many good reasons1 and we have but ourselves to blame4 ,he was so much of an ,american that a single word of ridicule from this side cut deeper than pages of abuse from the other4 ,to the scoffings of ,england he turned a careless ear1 and replied with flippant1 but pointed1 tongue2 while the utter lack of support and appreciation from his own country was ever referred to with a bitterness that betrayed his real feelings4 ,he could not understand how the ,american people could desert a countryman battling alone against all ,england4 ,as he frequently said3 8,it did not matter whether ,i was in the right or in the wrong1--,i was one against the mob4 ,why did ,america take the side of the mob1--and--and get whipped80 99 99 99 99 99 ,america was blind to his merits until long after he achieved fame in every country of ,europe2 and it is undeniably true that the press here truculently echoed the slurs of the critics on the other side throughout that long period of controversy4 ,it is a lamentable fact that up to the day of his death he was misunderstood1 or accepted as an eccentric in many quarters of the land that now claims him as her bright particular star in the firmament of art4 ,notwithstanding all these things1 he remained so conspicuously an ,american that every ,englishman and every ,frenchman with whom he came in contact recognized him as a foreigner2 neither would have thought of mistaking him for a fellow-countryman2 he was as un-,english and un-,french as an ,italian1 or a ,spaniard1 or--better--as an ,american4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the 8,white ,girl0 was rejected at the ,salon in #ahfc2 the 8,portrait of my ,mother0 was accepted by the ,royal ,academy and obscurely hung in #ahga1 only after a bitter discussion1 in which the one member of the committee who favored it1 ,sir ,william ,boxall1 a friend of ,whistler's family1 threatened to resign unless it was accepted4 ,this same great portrait--it is said on good authority--was offered in ,new ,york for twelve hundred dollars and found no buyer4 ,when exhibited in ,london1 language failed to express the full measure of the scorn and contempt the ,english press--from the ponderous ,times down to the most insignificant fly-sheet--had for this wonderful picture2 but no sooner had the ,french government purchased it for the ,luxembourg than all was changed1 and with delightful effrontery the ,illustrated ,london ,news said3 8,modern ,british 767 art will now be represented in the ,national ,gallery of the ,luxembourg by one of the finest paintings due to the brush of an ,english 767 artist1--namely1 ,mr4 ,whistler's portrait of his mother40 ,the italics and exclamation marks are ,whistler's own1 and his denial of ,british complicity is complete4 99 99 99 99 99 ,aside from ,whistler's personality1 his art finds its only congenial place in the midst of ,american art4 ,that his pictures will not hang in any conceivable exhibition of ,british art without the incongruity being painfully perceptible goes without saying1 and none knows this better than ,english painters themselves4 ,of all the various manifestations of art with which ,whistler's has come in sharp contrast1 ,english painting has been the slowest and most stubborn in yielding to influences from the far ,east2 whereas of all painters of the nineteenth century ,whistler was the very first to recognize the wondrous qualities of ,chinese and ,japanese art and absorb what those countries had to teach concerning line and color2 and in so far as the painters of ,england1 and more conspicuously those of ,scotland1 have learned aught of the subtleties and refinements of the ,east1 they have learned it through ,whistler1 and not direct4 ,in other words1 ,whistler has been absolutely immune to ,english influences2 there is not the faintest trace in any of his works1 etchings1 lithographs1 or paintings4 ,in temperament1 mood1 fancy1 and imagination1 in what he saw and the manner that he painted it1 he was as far removed from any 8,english ,school0 as ,hokusai himself4 ,on the other hand1 ,england for some time has not been immune to his influence1 and things after--a long way after--,whistler appear at every exhibition4 ,what is known as the 8,glasgow ,school0--that body of able and progressive painters--long ago frankly accepted him as master4 ,of ,english painters dead and living he had a poor--possibly too poor--opinion4 ,he frequently said1 8,england never produced but one painter1 and that was ,hogarth40 ,in mellower moments he would say not unkind things of certain qualities in other men2 towards the living painters who appreciated his art he was oftentimes generous in the bestowal of praise4 ,but it was impossible for ,whistler to say a thing was good if he did not think so2 and he would exercise all his ingenuity to get out of expressing an opinion when he knew his real opinion would hurt the feelings of a friend4 ,towards strangers and enemies he was often almost brutal in condemning what was bad1--as when a rich man took him over his new house1 dwelling with pride and enthusiasm on this extraordinary feature and that1 at each of which ,whistler would exclaim1 8,amazing1 amazing60 until at the end of their tour of the rooms and halls1 he at last said1 8,amazing1--and there's no excuse for it60 99 99 99 99 99 ,of his attitude towards others a friendly writer said3#d 8,he was not a devotee of ,turner1 but he yielded to no man in appreciation of certain of the works of that painter4 ,he was not lavish of praise where his contemporaries were concerned4 ,though he could say pleasant things about them in a rather vague way1--calling some young painter #8a good fellow1' and so on1--words of explicit admiration he did not promiscuously bestow4 ,the truth is1 there was an immense amount of stuff which he saw in the exhibitions which he frankly detested4 ,yet conversation with him did not leave the impression that he was a man grudging of praise4 ,it was rather that a picture had to be exceptionally good to excite his emotions4 ,one point is significant4 ,it was not the flashy and popular painter that he invited to share in the gatherings for which his ,paris studio was noted3 it was the painter like ,puvis de ,chavannes1 the man who had greatness in him40 ,that he had nothing in common with ,english art1 the ,english were quick to assert1 until his fame made him a desirable acquisition1 when on this side1 and that within the last few years1 a disposition to claim him--very much as the business-like empire seizes desirable territory here and there about the globe--has begun to show itself2 and1 unless ,america is alert1 ,whistler will yet appear in the ,national ,gallery as--to quote again the words of the ,illustrated ,news--8,an ,english artist40 99 99 99 99 99 ,as regards the ,french1 they are disposed to claim ,whistler on three grounds3 ,first4 ,that he was a student there1--with a master who taught him nothing4 ,second4 ,that ,france acknowledged his genius by the purchase of the portrait of his mother1--twenty years after it was painted1 and seven after it was exhibited in ,paris4 ,third4 ,that he lived for a time in ,paris4 ,three reasons which would annex to ,france about every ,american artist of note1 for most of them 7#a7 studied in ,france1 7#b7 are represented in the ,luxembourg1 and 7#c7 have lived in ,paris much longer than ,whistler4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as for those first few years in ,paris1 even the ,french concede that ,gleyre was entirely without influence upon ,whistler's subsequent career4 ,as regards the recognition of his genius1 ,france was exceedingly slow4 ,the portrait of his mother was exhibited in ,london in #ahga1 and purchased for the ,luxembourg in #ahia1 though it had been awarded a medal at the ,salon some seven years before4 ,france no more taught ,whistler to paint than it taught him to etch4 ,his masters were older and greater than the art of ,france4 ,before he was twenty-five he had absorbed all and rejected most that ,france had to teach4 ,at twenty-eight he painted a picture which1 scorned by the ,salon1 startled all who visited the 8,salon des ,refuss10 and then--still under thirty--he shook the dust of ,france from his feet1 obliterated every vestige of her influence from his art1 and started out to make his way alone and unaided in the domain of the beautiful4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in #ahfe he again stirred the critics with that novel creation of color 8,the ,princess of the ,land of ,porcelain40 ,nothing of the kind had ever been seen in either ,french or any other art4 ,it was the application of ,western methods to ,eastern motives2 it was plainly a study primarily in color1 secondarily in line1 not at all in character4 ,it was the first great step taken by the ,western world towards abstract art4 8,the ,princess of the ,land of ,porcelain10 the 8,lange ,leizen10 the 8,gold ,screen10 the 8,balcony0--all early pictures--are all one and the same in motive2 they are his first attempts in a large way to produce color harmonies1 to subordinate everything to the color composition4 ,illustration ,of ,whistler and ,american art in those days an unnamed correspondent has written from ,paris3#e 8,it would puzzle the analysis of a competent critic to find what ,whistler owed to ,gleyre2 and the young ,american openly professed to have profited by the counter example of ,gustave ,courbet1 who was the realist of that day4 ,from the first triumph of ,courbet in #ahdi1 ,gleyre had shrunk back into his shell and no longer exhibited at the annual salons4 8,from the start ,whistler was an independent2 and when1 after six years of work in the studios1 he offered a picture for the judgment of the official ,salon1 the jury promptly refused it4 ,whistler was not discouraged1 and hung the painting in the outlaws' ,salon des ,refuss4 ,it created a stir that was almost enthusiasm1 and the name of his #8,fille ,blanche'--,white ,maiden--was still remembered when four years later a few ,american painters demanded a section for their work at the ,universal ,exposition of #ahfg4 ,i have looked up a criticism of the time1 and imagine it will be found more interesting now than when it was written4 8#8,the ,united ,states of ,america are surely a great country and the ,north ,americans a great people1 but what little artists they are6 ,the big daubs which they exhibit1 under pretence of 8,blue ,mountains10 8,niagara ,falls10 8,genesee ,plain10 or 8,rain in the ,tropics10 show as much childish arrogance as boyish ignorance4 ,people say that these loud placards are sold for crazy prices in ,philadelphia or ,boston4 ,i am willing to believe it1 but ,i cannot rejoice at it4' 8,this is laid on with no light brush1 and some of us can recall the ,american painters of that remote age who were so mishandled4 ,but the remaining paragraph of the lines given to ,american art may surprise those who look on ,whistler as only a contemporary4 8#8,m4 ,whistler seems to me the only ,american artist really worthy of attention2 he is our old acquaintance of the ,salon des ,refuss of #ahfc1 where his 8,fille ,blanche0 had a suces d'engouement 7a success of infatuation674 ,he is truly an ,american1 as understood by the motto1 8time is money40 ,m4 ,whistler so well knows the value of time that he scarcely stops at the small points of execution2 the impression seized as it flies and fixed as soon as possible in swift strokes1 with a galloping brush--such is the artist and such1 too1 is the man4' 8,velasquez was already in the air1 but ,japanese art1 to which ,whistler afterwards allowed himself to be thought indebted1 was not yet spoken of4 ,thus the young ,american artist was the precursor of movements which years afterwards came to a head1 and which for the most part he has outlived4 ,in view of this1 the closing verdict of the official critic of #ahfg is worth noting1 the more so as it shows the reward already attributed to the ,american's industry in another branch of art4 #8,while waiting for ,m4 ,whistler to become a painter in the sense which old ,europe still attaches to the word1 he is already an etcher 7aquafortiste71 all fire and color1 and very worthy of attention1 even if he had only this claim to it4'0 ,before ,france cared very much for ,velasquez1 before it so much as knew there was an island called ,japan on the art map1 ,whistler was playing with the blacks and grays of the master of ,madrid and with the blues and silvery whites of the porcelains of the ,orient4 ,and it was he1--,whistler1--the ,american1 who turned the face of ,france towards the ,east1 and made her see things in line and color her most vagrant fancy had never before conceived4 ,searching the shops of ,amsterdam1 he found the blue-and-white china which gave him inspiration to do those things beside which the finest art of ,france is crude and barbaric4 99 99 99 99 99 ,not very long ago a ,french writer said1 8,there is not1 as yet1 an ,american school of painting1 but there are already many ,american painters1 and great ones1 who will in time form a school40 ,let us hope not4 ,a friend--a painter--once called ,whistler's attention to several very good things by ,alfred ,stevens4 ,whistler looked at them a moment1 then said1 8,school1 school1 school10 and turned away4 ,in that1 or any other restrictive or regulative sense of the word1 let us hope there will be no 8,american school20 but so long as there are ,american painters there will be ,american paintings2 and the greater the work the more completely will it reflect the man1 and the greater the man the more surely and subtly will it reflect his nationality4 ,the phrase 8,american painters0 means something more than ,americans who paint1 and 8,american paintings0 implies the transmission to the work of something of the painter's individuality1 which includes as an important element his racial and national characteristics4 ,in other words1 ,american painters1 regardless of where they are trained1 where they work1 and what they paint1 must produce ,american paintings2 they cannot wholly eliminate their individuality and nationality2 they cannot become so completely ,french or ,english as to absolutely obliterate every trace of their ,american origin1 and their works1 though ,english1 ,french1 or ,italian to the last degree1 will still exhibit traces of ,american origin4 ,so true is this1 that the paintings of men who have lived longest abroad and tried hardest to paint after the manner of others find their most congenial surroundings amidst ,american art4 99 99 99 99 99 ,so long as we have ,american paintings we shall have an ,american 8school0 in the sense that all ,american paintings taken together1 whether few or many1 whether good or bad1 will be distinguished and distinguishable from the paintings of every other country4 ,in that sense ,america has1 and always has had1 a 8school0 of painting1 though for a long time the school was little more than a kindergarten4 ,america has no centre like ,paris1 or ,rome1 or ,florence1 where a large body of men and women are gathered from the four quarters of the globe to study art4 ,in that sense ,america has no 8school20 but that sort of a 8school0 is about the worst thing that can happen to a country4 ,these great centres for the diffusion of art are usually fatal to the development of native art2 the presence of a horde of foreigners1 each with his own peculiarities and characteristics1 some with the effeminacy of the ,south1 others with the brutal force and overpowering virilty of the ,north1 stifles national initiative and produces sterile cosmopolites4 ,paris1 with its salons1 exhibitions1 competitions1 medals1 prizes1 and innumerable incentives towards commercial1 blatant1 and vicious art1 is the curse of ,french art1 and pretty soon ,france will have no art that is really hers4 ,the atmosphere of ,paris is one of strenuous striving after effect1 of mighty endeavor to make an impression2 it encourages facility1 dash1 bravura1 eccentricities1 and experiments of all kinds4 ,from the depths of our hearts let us be thankful that ,america has no 8school0 of that kind1 and earnestly hope that ,american artists residing temporarily within that atmosphere will be affected as little as was ,whistler4 ,paris is an sthetic ,babel4 ,the art of ,greece was suffocated when the entire coast-line of the ,mediterranean came to study the ,acropolis4 99 99 99 99 99 ,turning to the entire body of ,american painters1 at home and abroad1 we find that they constitute at the present day the one 8school0 that has already given to the world the greatest artist since the days of ,rembrandt and ,velasquez1--and greater than either in some respects1 as we shall see1--and also the greatest of living portrait-painters1 not to mention a half-dozen more who are recognized internationally as masters in their chosen fields2 the one 8school0 that contains more of sobriety1 more of sanity1 more of youthful vigor and virility1 more of indomitable energy and perseverance1 more of promise and assurance of mighty achievement than all the schools of all the other nations taken together4 ,if the world is destined to see the modern equivalent of ancient ,athens1 it will be somewhere within the confines of ,north ,america4 ,the countries of the ,old ,world have had their opportunities1 and the tide of progress in its circuit of the globe is already lapping the shores of the ,western continent4 ,in temperament the typical ,american lies about midway between the stolidity of the ,englishman and the volatility of the ,frenchman4 ,he has much of the dogged perseverance of the former1 with a large element of the facility and versatility of the latter2 he is steadfast in the pursuit of his ideals1 and at the same time quick to adopt new and improved methods for attaining his ends2 he has an ,englishman's tenacity of conviction and much of a ,frenchman's brilliancy of expression4 ,as compared with an ,englishman the ,american appears more than half ,french2 as compared with a ,frenchman he seems essentially ,english4 ,it is this combination of earnest convictions1 profound belief in self and country1 sobriety1 perseverance1 tenacity of purpose1 stolid endurance1 with inventiveness1 originality1 irresistible impulsiveness1 dash and brilliancy in execution1 that assures to the future of ,north ,america the noblest of human achievements4 ,for the present the strength and resources of the country are absorbed in the production of wealth2 but soon the people will tire of this pursuit1 and the accumulated wealth of nation1 ,states1 cities1 and individuals will turn to the encouragement of things beautiful in not only art and literature1 but in the long-neglected handicrafts1--the crafts that make instead of destroying men4 99 99 99 99 99 ,at the ,world's ,exposition of #ahic1 in ,chicago1 ,whistler's paintings hung1 where they rightfully belonged1 in the ,american section4 ,though far and away superior to anything in the entire section1 and conspicuous above everything near for their exquisite beauty1 still it cannot be gainsaid that of all the sections of that exhibition the ,american was the only one which would contain ,whistler's work without the contrast being so marked as to be absolutely destructive4 ,that they could not hang with entire fitness among the ,english pictures even the ,english would admit2 that their sober harmonies were distinctively at variance with the brilliant and superficial qualities of the ,french pictures was apparent to even the unpractised eye4 8,the ,yellow ,buskin0 and 8,the ,fur ,jacket10 to mention no others1 could hang in only one place1 and that was where they were put1--in the main hall of the ,american section1 flanked and confronted by ,american work4 ,not that the pictures about them equalled in merit1--that is not the question2 but they were sufficiently akin to constitute an harmonious environment4 99 99 99 99 99 ,art is simply a mode of expression1 and the highest1 truest1 noblest art is the reflection of the best there is in a people4 ,it follows1 therefore1 that the art of any race or people must exhibit the racial characteristics4 ,a painting1 for instance1 belongs first to the man who painted it and bears on its face so many marks of his individuality that not only he but others recognize it as his4 ,secondly1 the painting belongs to the race or people with which the artist is identified1 for the very traits which distinguish him as an ,american1 or an ,englishman1 or a ,frenchman from all other nationalities inevitably make themselves felt in the work1 and distinguish it not only specifically from all other canvases1 but generically from the work of other peoples1 schools1 epochs1 eras1 etc4 ,a man may change his allegiance and live in foreign lands1 but he cannot change his blood4 ,if a ,chinaman1 he will remain a ,chinaman1 no matter where he lives2 if an ,american1 he will remain an ,american1 though1 like many of our mess-of-potage citizens1 he may remain a bastard ,american in the endeavor to become an adopted ,englishman4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the finer the art the more universal its qualities4 ,and yet there is no poem and no picture that is absolutely without the marks of its master2 and the marks of the master mean the marks of his race1--in fact1 the racial indications are inversely in number to those of the individual2 the deeper a man buries his personality in his work the stronger the indications of his race4 ,shakespeare so lost himself that his personal characteristics nowhere appear in his great plays1 and a conception of the poet's personality could not be formed from a reading of the lines--so universal was his genius2 yet his poetry is essentially and everlastingly ,english1--far more conspicuously ,english than the poetry of lesser men who sing about ,england and things ,english4 ,it is more ,english than ,chaucer1 more ,english than ,spencer1 more ,english than ,browning1 ,tennyson1 or ,swinburne2 it breathes more fully and more truly the spirit of the ,english people in their greatest days than any poetry ever uttered by the ,english tongue4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the greater the man1 the more completely does he express his people4 ,it takes a great race to produce a great man2 and once produced1 he is everlastingly linked with his tribe4 ,but greatness implies the suppression of the petty1 including all petty resemblances2 therefore1 a man by the universal qualities of his genius may seem to belong to the world1 whereas in truth he is but the expression of the best there is in his countrymen4 ,rembrandt suppressed all provincialisms and seemed to etch and paint for mankind rather than for a limited public in ,holland2 and yet to the last he was simply the greatest of ,dutch artists4 ,and because he was so essentially and truly ,dutch he is one of the world's great artists2 in the chorus of the world's proud voices there is no mistaking his accent4 ,velasquez is at the same time the least ,spanish of painters and the most ,spanish of artists4 ,suppressing all eccentricities of time and place1 he rose to universal heights1 and the world claims him as its own2 and yet his fame depends upon the fact that he was from first to last a ,spaniard1--a ,spaniard in precisely the sense that ,cervantes was the expression of inarticulate forces behind him4 ,deriving more or less help from his contemporaries1 and from this quarter and that1 from the visit of ,rubens and from his own journey to ,italy1 he1 after all1 was the achievement of the ,spanish people in painting4 ,he was not an ,italian1 he was not a ,frenchman1 he was not a ,dutchman1--he was a ,spaniard of the ,spaniards1 as ,shakespeare was an ,englishman of the ,english4 99 99 99 99 99 ,having wandered far afield in the endeavor to point out the intimate connection between1 first1 a man and his work1--which connection every one admits1--and1 secondly1 between the race and the work1--a connection which is not so readily perceived1--let us return to ,whistler1 whose work furnishes proof positive of what has been said4 ,it is commonly taken for granted that if a man lives and studies and works abroad for many years he loses his individuality and becomes in some mysterious manner the offspring of the country where he works4 ,it is assumed that ,american painters residing in ,rome become more or less ,italian2 that those residing in ,paris become more or less ,french2 that those residing in ,london become more or less ,english2 while those who move restlessly from place to place become more or less of characterless cosmopolites4 ,all of which is true inversely to the real strength and genius of the artist4 ,a weak man is swerved by this influence and that and--chameleon like--takes on the hues of his surroundings1 but a strong man simply absorbs and assimilates without in the slightest degree losing his individuality4 ,unhappily1 many ,american artists residing abroad possess so little stamina1 so little of real character1 so little of genius1 that they are--like topers--dependent upon the daily stimulus afforded by the manifold art activities about them2 they never get out of school1 but remain helplessly dependent upon teachers and copy-books4 ,the annual ,salon1 like a college commencement day1 is their great incentive2 their petty exhibitions are so many field-days necessary to sustain childish enthusiasm4 ,happily1 all do not yield to those influences1 and no two yield in precisely the same degree1--the extent to which individuality is lost depending upon the weakness of the man4 ,a poor1 weak1 wishy-washy ,american quickly falls into the habit of painting pictures after the manner of those about him1 and his mannerisms out-,herod ,herod2 others1 with more character1 yield less to their environment2 while the chosen few simply absorb whatever of good they find1 and without yielding a jot of their individuality1 without swerving to the right or to the left1 go on producing after their own fashion things which belong to them and the race that produced them4 ,for more than forty years ,whistler was the conspicuous example of the last-named class1--a class so small that it included besides himself--no others4 ,great as certain of our ,american artists residing abroad undoubtedly are1 good as many of these surely are1 creditable on the whole as all are to ,american art1 there is not one whose work does not betray the influences of his environment2 there is not one who has not sacrificed something of his originality1 something of his strength1 something of his native force and character on strange altars1 saving and excepting1 always1 ,whistler4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the most that men have ventured to say is that he was influenced by ,velasquez1 though he himself has said he never visited ,madrid1--a statement many insist cannot be true2 others say he has been influenced by ,japanese art1--but ,velasquez and the art of ,japan are far from ,french or ,english art of the nineteenth century2 and the assertion that he was influenced by either is a confession that he lived unscathed amidst his surroundings4 ,back of the art of ,japan is the purer art of ,china2 and to that source must we go if we seek the factors that influenced ,whistler1 for he loved the porcelain and pottery of ,china long before they were collected by the museums and amateurs of ,europe4 8,when no one cared for it10 he said1 8,i used to find in ,amsterdam the most beautiful blue-and-white china4 ,that was a good many years ago2 it is all gone now40 ,old ,delft did not inspire him with any enthusiasm4 8,crude1 crude1 crude40 ,this art of ,china1 as reflected and elaborated in that of ,japan1 influenced him1--of that there can be no doubt1--and he recognized what was good in ,japanese art before others gave it any attention4 ,the art of ,velasquez had its due weight1 for he loved the work of the ,spanish master2 and if he never visited ,madrid1 perhaps it was because he feared falling too much under its influence4 ,but he went frequently to the ,louvre1 and invariably to the little 8,infanta10 which he would look at long and earnestly1 and to ,titian's 8,man with the ,glove10 which was a favorite1 and to certain ,rembrandts1 and to ,franz ,hals1 and a few1 a very few others1--the gems of the collection1--ignoring completely the pictures which commonly attract1 never once glancing up at the huge canvases by ,rubens and his pupils2 in fact1 so far as he was concerned the walls might have been bare save for a half-dozen masterpieces2 and these he really did love4 ,there was no mistaking his attitude towards them4 ,it was one of reverential affection4 ,he appreciated a really good thing1 whether he or some one else had done it1 and he hated above everything sham and pretence and foolish display4 ,to him a picture the size of one's hand1 if well and conscientiously done1 was just as important as a full-length portrait4 ,the ,italian masters influenced him1 for he often spoke of them1 of the wonderful effects they obtained with such simple materials and such straight-forward methods2 their mastery of color influenced him1 and he sought1 so far as possible1 to discover the pigments and the methods they used4 ,those are the factors which helped to make ,whistler1--the purest art2 he was not influenced by what went on about him1 or by what was said about him4 ,so little did he care what others were doing or how they did it that his very brushes and pigments were different2 and his methods were so peculiarly his own that no one painted at all like him1 and his fellow-artists looked on in amazement4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the wave of impressionism which submerged all ,paris in the very midst of his career left him unaffected1--for his art was an older and truer impressionism1 an impressionism that did not depend upon the size of brushes or the consistency of pigments4 ,a visitor once said to him3 8,mr4 ,whistler1 it seems to me you do not use some of those very expensive and brilliant colors which are in vogue nowadays40 8,no40 ,and he diligently worked away at his palette4 8,i can't afford to1--they are so apt to spoil the picture40 8,but they are effective40 8,for how long8 ,a year1 or a score of years1 perhaps2 but who can tell what they will be a century or five centuries hence4 ,the old masters used simple pigments which they ground themselves4 ,i try to use what they used4 ,after all1 it is not so much what one uses as the way it is used40 99 99 99 99 99 ,much of the foregoing argument concerning the ,americanism of ,whistler and his art may seem to be contradicted by his own express utterances4 ,for did he not say in his 8,ten o',clock08 8,listen6 ,there never was an artistic period40 8,there never was an art-loving nation40 ,and he pointed out how the man who1 8differing from the rest10 who 8stayed by the tents with the women and traced strange devices with a burnt stick upon a gourd1 444 who took no joy in the ways of his brethren1 444 who perceived in nature about him curious curvings1 as faces are seen in the fire1 this dreamer apart1 was the first artist40 8,and presently there came to this man another--and1 in time1 others--of like nature1 chosen by the gods2 and so they worked together2 and soon they fashioned1 from the moistened earth1 forms resembling the gourd4 ,and with the power of creation1 the heirloom of the artist1 presently they went beyond the slovenly suggestion of nature1 and the first vase was born1 in beautiful proportion40 ,and the toilers and the heroes were athirst1 8and 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 no other60 8,and the people questioned not1 and had nothing to say in the matter40 8,so ,greece was in its splendor1 and art reigned supreme1--by force of fact1 not by election1--and there was no meddling by the outsider40 ,again he says3 8,the master stands in no relation to the moment at which he occurs a monument of isolation1 hinting at sadness1 having no part in the progress of his fellow-men40 99 99 99 99 99 ,those are the propositions which called out the reply--positive and intemperate--from ,swinburne1#f and so estranged the two1 and which to this day have proved huge stumbling-blocks in the paths of those who try to understand ,whistler4 ,for the world does believe that there have been 8artistic periods10 that there have been 8art-loving nations10 that in some mysterious manner the master does stand in 8relation to the moment at which he occurs40 ,and the world is right2 though it does not necessarily follow that ,whistler was wrong in the particular views he had in mind when he uttered his epigrammatic propositions4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in one sense it is undoubtedly true that the master does seem to stand apart1 8a mounment of isolation10 that he does seem to happen without any causal connection with either parents or country1 time or place1--for who could have foretold the greatness of ,shakespeare from an acquaintance with those obscure individuals his father and mother1 or from a knowledge of ,stratford and its environs8 ,who could have predicted the triumphs of ,napoleon from a study of his ,corsican forbears1 or the strange genius of ,lincoln from his illiterate progenitors and humble surroundings1 or the elemental force of ,walt ,whitman from his ancestry and ,american conditions8 ,no one2 and yet there is the profound conviction that each of these men1 like every great man1--prophet1 king1 statesman warrior1 poet1 or painter1--appeared1 not miraculously1 but as the inevitable result of irresistible forces2 that the brilliant man is1 after all1 the son of his parents and the child of his times4 ,in the mystery of generation two stupidities fused in the alembic of maternity produce a genius4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the occasion does not create1 but calls forth its master4 ,every war has its great general1 every crisis its great leader1 and in the world of art great artists respond to meet the requirements of the hour4 ,the bent of a nation determines the occupations of her sons1--towards war and conquest1 towards peace and industry1 towards things artistic or things commercial1 all as the case may be4 ,it is not the birth of the poet that turns the nation from commerce to poetry2 it is rather the imperceptible development of the nation itself in the direction of the ideal that calls into activity--not being--the poet4 ,neither race nor nation can by its fiat create a poet2 but it can by its encouragement stimulate his activity and rouse him to his best4 ,it could not create a ,keats2 but it might have urged him on to even greater heights than he attained1--for who can doubt that his clear1 pure crystalline song was stifled for lack of appreciation8 99 99 99 99 99 ,now and then a genius1 such as ,carlyle1 such as ,whistler1 such as ,whitman1 asserts himself in spite of all rebuffs1 for each of these men pursued his chosen path regardless of all revilings2 but1 so susceptible is genius to encouragement and discouragement1 that1 for the most part1 it droops before the withering blast of adverse criticism1 and only those of hearts so strong and wills so stubborn that opposition inflames them to greater efforts make headway against the world4 ,it was no one genius that made the monuments and literature of ,greece1 the art of ,china and ,japan1 the paintings of ,italy1 the ,gothic cathedrals of ,france and ,england2 it was the demand for all these things and their appreciation by those who could not do them that called forth and encouraged the doers4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the first artist may neglect the chase and the field and remain by the tents idly tracing strange designs upon gourds2 but unless those who till the soil and bring in the food see his decorated gourds and like them1 and prefer them to the plain ones which abound1 and are willing to give him food and shelter for his work1 he will not remain by the tents very long1 and his artistic career will be foreshortened by necessity4 ,but if the toilers and the hunters like the decorated gourds1 and the demand for them increases1 others of the tribe who have talent for designing and decoration will join the master and imitate his work1 and every now and then a pupil will prove a genius and surpass the 8first artist10 and art will grow and art-products will multiply1 but only so long as the rest of the tribe are willing to work and toil and to exchange the necessaries of life for paintings and carvings and pottery2 and the greater the demand1 the keener the desire of the people for decorated things in preference to those that are plain and cheap1 the larger will be the chance of uncovering now and then a genius1 until1 as with the ,greeks1 the effective demand for things beautiful1 for poetry1 music1 painting1 sculpture1 and architecture1 becomes so great that we have an artistic people and an art-epoch1--that is to say1 a people that is only too glad to encourage and support a large number of artists of every kind1 and an era when of a given population an unusually large percentage is devoted to the service of the beautiful4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the master does seem--as ,whistler says--to come unbidden2 but he will not remain long1 and others will not follow in his footsteps1 unless he arouses at least sufficient appreciation to give him life4 ,the future of art--of literature1 of the drama1 and of all the handicrafts--in ,america depends not upon the coming of a genius1 but upon the growth of an effective and irresistible demand for good things2 when that demand is sufficiently imperative1 a ,phidias1 an ,angelo1 a ,shakespeare will respond1 for genius is latent everywhere4 ,the sudden degradation of the arts in ,japan within the memory of man was not due to the disappearance of the talent and genius which for nearly a thousand years had been steadily--almost methodically--producing things beautiful1 but it was due to the suppression of the feudal system1 of those great lords who from the beginning had been the sure patrons of art and supporters of artists1 and to the throwing open of ports to the commerce of the world and the introduction of the commercial spirit4 ,the genius for the creation of beautiful things remains1--for a people does not change in the twinkling of an eye1--but the talent is no longer in demand1 or1 in many cases1 is diverted to the more profitable pursuits of the hour4 ,,iv ,early ,days in ,paris and ,venice--,etchings1 ,lithographs1 and ,water-,colors--8,propositions0 and 8,ten o'clock4 ,after leaving the coast survey1 ,whistler went to ,england1 and thence to ,paris in #ahee1 and entered the studio of ,charles ,gabriel ,gleyre1 where he remained two years4 ,beyond the fact that ,whistler was for a time in his studio1 ,gleyre has not much claim on fame4 ,there could not have been anything in common between the master and his pupil1 for he was academic to the last degree4 8,not even by a tour in the ,east did he allow himself to be led away from the classic manner2 and as the head of a great leading studio he recognized it as the task of his life to hand the traditions of the school of ,ingres10 whom ,whistler used to call a 8,bourgeois ,greek10 8on to the present40 ,he 8was a man of sound culture1 who during a sojourn in ,italy1 which lasted five years1 had examined ,etruscan vases and ,greek statues with unintermittent zeal1 studied the ,italian classics1 and copied all ,raphael4 ,having come back to ,paris1 he never drew a line without having first assured himself how ,raphael would have proceeded40 ,however1 there must have been a certain combative streak in his character which did appeal to ,whistler1 for in #ahdi he quarreled with the ,salon over the success of ,courbet1 and thereafter sent his pictures to ,swiss exhibitions4 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler's first commission grew out of an acquaintance made at ,west ,point4 ,at one of the commencement festivities he met a charming young girl1 a ,miss ,sally ,williams1 and her father1 ,captain ,williams4 ,while a student in ,paris1 the pretty daughter and the bluff old captain called on him1 and the captain said3 8,mr4 ,whistler1 we are over here to see ,paris1 and ,i want you to show us the pictures40 ,nothing loath1 ,whistler took them to the ,louvre1 and after they had walked a mile or two the captain stopped before some pictures that pleased him and asked3 8,do you suppose you could copy these pictures80 8,possibly40 8,then1 ,i wish you would copy this1 and that1 and that10 pointing out three paintings4 8,when they are finished1 deliver them to my agent1 and he will pay you your price40 ,whistler made the copies1 and received the first money he ever earned with his brush4 ,one of these canvases1 a copy of an ,ingres1 turned up in ,new ,york a year or two ago4 ,it bore ,whistler's signature1 but was so atrocious--imagine a combination of ,ingres and ,whistler--that even the dealer doubted its authenticity2 but when a photograph was shown ,whistler1 he recognized the picture and told the story4 99 99 99 99 99 ,of these early days many stories are told1 but they are all more or less apocryphal4 ,it is as natural for stories to cluster about ,whistler as for barnacles to cling to a ship4 ,he told so many good ones that1 as with ,lincoln1 innumerable good1 bad1 and indifferent which he did not tell are attributed to him1 and thousands are told about him which have slight foundations in fact4 ,it is well nigh impossible to sift the true from the false1--a thing ,whistler himself did not attempt1--though it is possible to sift the wheat from the chaff1 the inane1 insipid1 and pointless from the bright and crisp4 ,any man can vouch for a story1 but who can vouch for a good story8 ,the story-teller8 ,heaven forbid6 ,by all the rules of evidence the testimony of so interested a witness is inadmissible4 ,the better the story1 the more doubtful its authenticity1--its formal1 its literal authenticity4 ,the better the teller1 the more daring his liberties with prosaic details4 ,a good story-teller is a lapidary who receives his material in the rough and polishes it into a jewel by removing three-fourths of its substance2 or1 under pressure of necessity1 he deftly manufactures paste4 ,to be without stories is the story-teller's crime2 a wit without witticisms is no wit at all1 hence the strain upon veracity4 ,happily1 the world conspires to help both wit and story-teller by supplying during their lives1 and in great abundance after their deaths1 stories and witticisms without end4 ,give a man the reputation of being a humorist1 and all he has to do is to sit discreetly silent and watch his reputation grow4 ,if he really deserves his reputation1 he may add to his fame by fresh activities2 but if he is something of a sham1 as most wits are1 he would better leave his sayings to the imaginations of others4 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler's sense of humor was so keen1 his wit so sharp1 his facility in epigram and clever sayings so extraordinary1 that what are genuinely his are better than anything others have said about him2 therefore1 it is a pity some one has not jotted down first hand some of the good things that constantly fell from his lips4 ,perhaps some one has1 and his life and sayings will yet appear with all the marks of authority and authenticity4 ,but his sharp and exceedingly terse sayings often suffer greatly in the telling1 frequently to the loss of all point and character4 ,the following instance is in point3 ,a group of society women were once discussing the graces and accomplishments of ,frederic ,leighton4 8,so handsome40 8,plays divinely40 8,perfectly charming40 8,sings40 8,and is so great a sculptor40 ,whereupon ,whistler1 who was of the party1 timidly advanced the query3 8,paints a little1 too1 does he not80 ,that is one version of an old and well-worn ,whistler anecdote1 and other versions1 which are at all characteristic1 do not vary in more than two or three words4 ,see what the story becomes in the mouth of the incompetent4#g 8,one evening a dozen of us were sitting in ,broughton's reception-room1 waiting for our carriages to be announced1 and ,whistler was sitting by himself on a lounge on the other side of the room4 ,we were discussing the versatile talents of ,frederic ,leighton1 one of the leading painters of ,england1 and afterwards president of the ,royal ,academy4 ,one spoke of his astonishing linguistic accomplishments3 he could express himself in every ,european tongue and in several ,oriental ones4 ,another mentioned his distinguished merit as an architect3 he was building an addition to his studio which was like a vision of ,aladdin or ,haroun ,al ,rashid4 ,another called attention to his ability in sculpture3 a group of an athlete and a serpent was then exhibiting in the ,academy1 which challenged the works of antique art4 ,another mentioned his talent as an orator3 no man in ,london could make a better after-dinner speech4 ,another praised his personal beauty and grace and his athletic prowess4 ,at length there fell a silence1 because all of us had contributed his or her mite of eulogy1--all of us1 that is1 with the exception of ,whistler1 reclining on his elbow at the other side of the room4 8,by a common impulse we all glanced over at him3 what would he say8 ,he partly raised himself from his lolling attitude and reached for his crush hat on the sofa4 #8,yes1' he added1 slowly and judicially1 as if benevolently confirming all the praise we had poured forth2 and then1 as if by an after-thought1 calling our attention to a singular fact not generally known1 #8,yes1 and he can paint1 too6'0 ,after all the verbosity1 padding1 and penny-a-lining1 the point is missed by attributing to ,whistler the positive averment that ,leighton could paint4 ,small wonder that the writer in the next paragraph confesses3 8,my own crude first attempts to understand ,whistler's paintings were dismal failures2 and of course ,i imagined that the failure was in the painting1 and not in myself4 ,i could see no beauty in them3 the drawing was indeterminate2 the colors were not pretty2 the pictures all seemed unfinished40 ,it is less difficult than one would suppose to recall things said by ,whistler1 for he would repeat a good thing and was always polishing4 ,for instance1 in his controversy with the critics he originally said that 8,ruskin's high-sounding1 empty things 444 flow of language that would1 could he hear it1 give ,titian the same shock of surprise that was ,balaam's when the first great critic proffered his opinion40 ,a very literal correspondent wrote to the papers that the 8ass was right10 and quoted the ,bible in proof4 ,nothing daunted1 ,whistler acknowledged the hit1 saying1 8,but1 ,i fancy1 you will admit that this is the only ass on record who ever did see the ,angel of the ,lord1 and that we are past the age of miracles40 ,years after1 in referring to the matter1 he improved his reply to1 8,but ,i fancy you will admit that this is the only ass on record that ever was right1 and the age of miracles is past40 99 99 99 99 99 ,his love of epigram was so great that nothing which was terse or pointed escaped his ears or fled his memory4 ,one day1 while lunching with a friend who knew something about the habits and eccentricities of good wine1 ,whistler was telling about the peculiarities of ,henry ,james1 how ,james would drag a slender incident through several pages until it was exhausted1 whereupon his friend casually remarked3 8,the best of wine is spoiled by too small a spiggot40 ,immediately alert1 ,whistler said3 8,what's that8 what's that you said8 ,did you get that out of ,shakespeare80 8,not at all2 it is simply a physical fact that if you let good wine dribble through a small spiggot you lose its fragrance and character40 8,god bless me1 but ,i believe you are right2 and it's a good saying1--it's ,james to a--drop40 99 99 99 99 99 ,no doubt there are many still living who knew ,whistler in those early ,paris days1 but if so1 few have so far made known their reminiscences4 ,one fellow-student describes one of the places they used to dine inexpensively as follows3#h 8,in ,paris1 in the fifties1 there existed in the ,rue de la ,michandiere what appeared to be an ordinary ,paris creamery4 ,in the front shop were sold milk1 butter1 and eggs4 ,over the door was the usual painted tin coffee-pot1 indicating that caff au lait1 and eggs1 butter1 and rolls could be obtained in the back room4 8,the place was kept by ,madame ,busque1 who had been a governess in a private family in the south of ,france1 and having saved a little money1 had come to ,paris and opened a creamery4 ,the very day she opened her shop1 ,mr4 ,chase1 ,paris correspondent of the ,new ,york ,times1 passing by1 was attracted by the clean look of the place1 and stepped in for his early breakfast of coffee and rolls4 ,the little back room contained two round tables1 and beyond was the kitchen with the usual charcoal broiler and little furnaces4 ,chase was so pleased that he came again1 and getting acquainted with ,madame1 who was well educated and very ladylike and anxious to please1 arranged for a dinner at #f4cj for a party of four4 ,everything was good and so well served that soon she had a regular custom of ,american residents1--literary men1 artists1 and students of all kinds1 art1 scientific1 literary1 and medical1--and soon the place became famous4 ,american dishes were introduced1--mince and pumpkin pies and buckwheat cakes4 ,it was not easy to reproduce these things in ,paris4 ,the pumpkin pie was a trouble4 ,madame was told how to make it by a man who only knew how it looked and tasted1 and who neglected to mention the crust2 and as ,madame had no knowledge of pies in general1 she served the first pumpkin pie as a soup in a tureen4 ,just at that time came in a bright young woman1 introduced by one of the habitus1 who offered to come next forenoon and show ,madame ,busque how to make a genuine ,yankee pumpkin pie1 which she did2 and the pies produced in that little creamery were famous and were sent out to ,americans all over ,paris4 ,fine carriages1 including that of the ,american minister1 to the amazement of the neighborhood1 would call for these pies to take home4 8,among the habitus was young ,whistler1 then an art student4 ,he was bright1 original1 and amusing1 but gave at that time no promise of any particular ability as an artist4 ,his drawing was careless4 ,i remember one of his pictures1--a woman seated at the piano1 a little child playing on the floor4 ,the piano was so out of drawing that it looked as if it were falling over4 ,as students are always fond of guying each other1 one said to ,whistler1 #8,hurry and put a fifth leg under that piano or it will fall and smash the baby4' 8,one day1 in the ,luxembourg1 ,whistler had his easel in a crowd with others4 ,they were all at work making copies from a famous picture that had just been added to the gallery4 ,whistler would paint a bit1 and then rush back to contemplate what he had done4 ,in one of these mad backward rushes he struck a step-ladder on the top of which was a painter4 ,over went step-ladder1 painter1 and all1 and the painter1 trying to save himself1 seized the top of his own canvas and another1 pulling them over1 easels and all4 ,one knocked down another1 and there was a great crash4 ,whistler was in the midst1 and his loud voice was heard1 as he sat on the floor1 his head protruding through a big canvas that had fallen on him1 using expressions of a vigorous type4 ,he was seized by the guardian1 because1 as ,whistler was making the most noise1 he assumed that the whole fuss was due to him4 ,this was quite correct2 but all the painters coming to his rescue1 telling the guardian that it was all an accident1 he let ,whistler off4 8,he organized a company of ,french negro minstrels1 writing the songs and stories1 and gave a performance which was very amusing4 ,among the habitus at ,madame ,busque's was a student from the ,school of ,mines1 ,vinton1 afterwards ,professor of ,mining at ,columbia ,college1 and during the war a brigadier-general4 ,he himself told me the following story in #ahff4 ,one night in ,south ,carolina an officer wandered into his camp4 ,he sent word to the general by the sergeant of the guard that he was an officer who had lost his way1 that he asked permission to pass the rest of the night in his camp1 adding that he had known ,general ,vinton when a student in ,paris4 ,general ,vinton sent for the officer1 whom he failed to recognize4 ,after some thought he asked the question1 #8,who was the funniest man we knew in ,paris8' #8,whistler1' instantly answered the officer4 #8,all right1' says ,vinton2 #8take that empty cot2 you are no spy4'0 ,among the students he knew in those days were ,degas1 ,ribot1 and ,fantin-,latour1 whose work every one knows4 ,manet was working up to his best2 in #ahfa he painted the 8,child with a ,sword10 now in the ,metropolitan ,museum in ,new ,york1 and altogether the atmosphere was charged with the strong sulphur of revolution4 ,in ,england the pre-,raphaelites--old and new--were turning the hands of time backward1 in ,france the ,impressionists were pressing them forward1 in both countries the ferment of change was working4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when only twenty-four years of age1 in #aheh1 ,whistler's first etchings appeared1 published by ,deltre1 with a dedication to ,seymour ,haden1 his brother-in-law4 ,in those days the relations between the two men were very cordial2 unhappily1 not so later1 as may be seen in 8,gentle ,art40 ,illustration ,one of ,haden's best plates1 8,battersea ,beach10 bears in its first state this inscription1 8,old ,chelsea1 ,seymour ,haden1 #ahfc1 out of ,whistler's window10 and another plate of the same year is entitled1 8,whistler's ,house1 old ,chelsea40#i 99 99 99 99 99 ,prior to the publication of the 8,french ,set10 ,whistler had etched three plates1 which were catalogued as#aj 8,early ,portrait of ,whistler4 ,a young man bare-headed4 ,an impression on which ,whistler wrote #8,early ,portrait of ,self' is in the ,avery collection in the ,lenox ,library1 ,new ,york4 8,annie ,haden4 ,on the only impression known1 now in ,avery collection1 ,lenox ,library1 ,whistler wrote1 #8,very early2 most probably unique4' 8,the ,dutchman ,holding ,his ,glass4 ,this is signed #8,j4 ,w41' and but two or three impressions are in existence40 ,there must have been many other early attempts before the 8,french ,set0 was formally undertaken1 and possibly other plates and prints will come to light in the rigorous search that is sure to be made for everything that he ever did4 ,a plate made while in the service of the coast survey is in existence1--a headland embellished with vagrant heads and figures4 ,some of the prints are to be seen in collections4 ,the 8,french ,set0 consisted of twelve plates and an etched title1 making thirteen plates in all4 ,but few copies of the set were printed1 and the original price was two guineas per copy4 ,it is1 of course1 quite impracticable to give a complete list of ,whistler's etchings1 for three hundred and seventy-two have been duly listed and described1 and it is altogether likely that this number will be increased to over four hundred4 ,whistler himself was very careless about keeping either a set of proofs or anything like a memorandum of what he had done4 ,in fact1 he did not know what or how many etchings and lithographs he had made or how many pictures he had painted4 ,everything he did was so entirely the pleasure of the moment1 and each new work1 whether large or small1 so completely absorbed him1 that he quite forgot the labor of yesterday4 ,all his life long he would begin things and throw them aside1 and he would finish things and throw them aside also4 ,to him the only hour of vital import was the present4 ,to the very last his work shows the enthusiasm1 the even more than youthful impulsiveness1 with which he would begin each new undertaking4 ,he could never work at an etching1 a lithograph1 or a painting one moment after it became drudgery2 he could never finish a thing simply because he had begun it1 or because some one thought it ought to be finished2 hence endless misunderstandings with sitters and patrons1 who could not understand why what they had bargained for should not be finished and delivered4 ,no matter how hard at work on any subject1 he was instantly diverted by another which appealed to him more2 and he would leave a sitter who was to pay him a thousand guineas to sketch an ,italian urchin4 ,unmethodical to the last degree in all his affairs1 always absorbed in what he had in hand1 it is not surprising that he kept little track of the things he had done4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the first catalogue of his etchings was published in ,london in #ahgd4 ,it contained about eighty etchings4 ,in #ahhf ,mr4 ,frederick ,wedmore catalogued two hundred and fourteen1 and in #ahii increased the number to two hundred and sixty-eight4 ,in #aijb a supplement#aa to ,wedmore's catalogue brought the number of known prints up to three hundred and seventy-two4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the 8,thames ,set10 sixteen in number1 did not appear publicly as a 8set0 until #ahga1 though made many years before2 and the very rare early impressions made by ,whistler himself are considered far superior to the prints of #ahga and after4 ,in #ahhj the ,fine ,arts ,society issued the 8,first ,venice ,set0 of a dozen plates1 and in #ahhf ,messrs4 ,dowdeswell issued a set of twenty-six1 known as the 8,twenty-six ,etchings40 ,one who knew him in his early ,venice days gives the following reminiscences3#ab 8,we were often invited to dine with ,whistler1 whose apartment was on the next flight above4 ,he came to our rooms one day1 and said1 #8,a----1 ,i would like you and ,b---- to dine with me to-day4 ,you have such a supply of newspapers1 please bring several with you1 as ,i have neither papers nor table-cloth1 and they will answer the purpose quite well4' ,i did as he requested1 and surprised and amused was our host when ,i called his attention to a column and a half of #8,whistler stories' in one of the ,boston papers1 which was serving as our table-cloth4 8,one day ,i called on ,whistler when he was engaged in decorating the interior of a house4 ,he lay on his back on the floor1 and the handle of the brush was a fish-pole which reached to the ceiling4 8,once a year1 in the summer time1 it is the custom of ,venetians to go to the ,lido1 a surf-bathing resort1 to see the sun rise4 ,they leave in the evening1 in gondolas1 accompanied with the inevitable mandolin and guitar1 and sometimes with an upright piano4 ,the excursionists make a night of it1 and ,whistler was one of the number4 ,next day he wished to make a study from our window1 the approach to the ,grand ,canal4 ,leaving him for a time by himself1 upon my return there was a striking study of the view on the easel1 and ,whistler before the easel asleep4 ,the brushes had fallen from his grasp1 and1 well charged with fresh paint1 were resting in his lap4 ,as he wore white duck trousers1 the effect can well be imagined4 8,i have often heard him use the word #8pretty1' when looking at a study that had no particular redeeming feature to recommend it4 ,not wishing to wound the feelings of the artist1 he would remark1 with that peculiar drawl of his1 #8,that is pretty1 yes1 very pretty4' 8,one day he called upon two students4 ,on the wall was the study of a child1 most beautifully done by one of them4 ,whistler stood before it for a long time in deep admiration1 and then1 turning to the art student1 said1 #8,that is away beyond yourself4' ,truly it was1 for ,i called again a few days afterwards1 and the body attached to the beautiful head was not worthy the brush of a five-years-old child4 ,and ,i wondered how such incongruous things could be4 8,whistler was very loyal to his #8white lock2' said it was an inheritance in the family for several generations4 ,he wore a slouch hat2 and ,i have watched him on several occasions1 before the mirror1 where he remained for a long time1 arranging it on his curly hair for the best effect before starting for the ,florian caf4 8,and this reminds me that he was in need sometimes of the wherewithal to procure his coffee4 ,so he called on me for aid4 ,it was amusing to me1 for ,i had scarcely soldi to pay for my own1 and so ,i often went without4 ,however1 ,i could well afford to pay for ,whistler's coffee1 inasmuch as he was a fine linguist1 and ,i called on him to assist me in the battle ,i had with the padrona on two occasions4 ,the mercenary woman was completely nonplussed1 for ,whistler waxed eloquent in the ,italian tongue4 ,there was no mistake1 he was in dead earnest1 for his gesticulations and excited tones of voice assured it1 and my case was won4 8,tintoretto was his ideal artist among the old masters1 and he often spoke most highly of his productions1 especially #8,the ,crucifixion4' 8,in the line of pastels he was original1 doing them on ordinary wrapping-paper4 ,they were simply beautiful4 ,i saw them in a ,london gallery a few months later1 and they were an inspiration2 so much so that he has had since many imitators but no equals4 8,on one occasion ,i had a demonstration4 ,we set out together on a sketching tour of the town4 ,we came suddenly upon a subject that was very rich in tone--a cooper-shop4 ,i lost no time getting to work4 ,i threw my sketching-block flat upon the pavement1 and emptied the contents of my box of water-colors upon it to get the tone quickly4 ,the paper being well saturated with water1 made it an easy matter to bring forth light from out the deep tone with strips of blotting-paper4 ,i was not aware of doing anything unusual until ,i heard a #8,ha1 ha1 ha6' which has been called ,whistler's ,satanic laugh4 8#8,what amuses you1 ,mr4 ,whistler8 ,why do you laugh8 ,are you making fun of my sketch8' 8#8,oh1 no1' said he1 with assurance4 #8,i am admiring the ingenious way in which you work4' 8,this to me was high praise1 for it came from one who rarely indulged in praise40 ,another1 speaking of the same period1 says3#ac 8,i first knew ,mr4 ,james ,mc,neill ,whistler many years ago in ,venice1 when he was quite unknown to fame4 ,he had lodging at the top of an old palace in the uttermost parts of the town1 and many days he would breakfast1 lunch1 and dine off nothing more nutritious than a plateful of polenta or macaroni4 ,he was just as witty1 and gave himself just the same outrageous but inoffensive airs as afterwards in the days of his prosperity4 ,he used to go about and do marvellous etchings for which he could find no market1 or else only starvation prices4 ,when he was absolutely obliged to1 he would sell them for what he could get2 but he never lost the fullest confidence in his own powers2 and1 whenever he could1 he preferred to keep them in the expectation--nay1 certainty--of being able to sell them some day at a high figure4 8,he used to go roaming about ,venice in search of subjects for his etchings1 and those who know all about it say that the charm of his work lies quite as much in the choice of subjects as in their execution4 ,he used to make a great deal of mystery about his etching expeditions1 and was rarely prevailed upon to let any one accompany him4 ,if he did1 it was always under the strictest pledge of secrecy4 ,what was the use1 he would ask1 of his ferreting out some wonderful old bridge or archway1 and thinking of making it immortal1 if some second-rate painter-man were to come after him and make it commonplace with his caricatures8 ,on the other hand1 if some friend of his discovered an ideal spot1 and asked what he thought of it1 he would not scruple for an instant to say1 #8,come1 now1 this is all nonsense1 your trying to do this4 ,it is much too good a subject to be wasted on you4 ,you'd better let me see what ,i can do with it4' ,and he would be so charming about it1 and take his own superiority so completely for granted1 that no one ever dreamed of refusing him40 ,the story is told that a woman1 some elderly countess1 moved into an apartment immediately below him4 ,by her noise1 fussiness1 and goings to and fro she annoyed him very much1 and ,whistler wished her out4 ,the weather was hot1 and one day the countess put a jar of goldfish on the balcony immediately beneath his window4 ,during her absence ,whistler tied a bent pin to a thread and caught the fish1 broiled them to a turn1 and dropped them back4 ,soon the countess returned1 and on finding her goldfish dead1 there was a great commotion1 and the next day she packed up and left1 saying that ,venice was altogether too hot1--the sun had cooked her goldfish in their jar4 ,of ,whistler's etchings ,seymour ,haden once said that if he had to part with his ,rembrandts or his ,whistlers he would let the former go4 ,this collection of ,haden's came to this country a few years ago4 ,an enthusiastic collector says3 8,i should say of ,mr4 ,whistler that he was an artistic genius1 whose etched work has not been surpassed by any one1 and equalled only by ,rembrandt4 ,comparing the etching of the two1 it should be said of ,rembrandt that he chose greater subjects1--as1 for instance1 #8,christ ,healing the ,sick' and #8,the ,crucifixion2' in landscape #8,the ,three ,trees2' and in portraiture #8,jan ,lutma1' #8,ephraim ,bonus1' and #8,the ,burgomaster ,six4' ,it certainly cannot be said of ,whistler that he ever etched any plates such as the two first mentioned4 ,though ,rembrandt's etchings number1 say1 two hundred and seventy plates1 when a buyer has bought fifty1 he has1 no matter how much money he may possess1 all the ,rembrandts he wants4 ,in other words1 two hundred and twenty plates are of little value4 8,whistler has catalogued three hundred and seventy-two plates2 but it would not do to think of stopping the buying of his prints with fifty1 or twice that number1 or any other figures1 indeed1 short of them all4 ,the difference between ,rembrandt and ,whistler might be expressed in this way3 ,rembrandt etched many things whose technique was not the best1 whose subjects were abominable1 and whose work generally was far from pleasing4 ,whistler1 on the contrary1 has never etched a plate that would not be a delight to any connoisseur4 8,i have fifty-five ,rembrandts1 and1 with the exception of half a dozen more1 ,i have all that ,i want1 or all that ,i would buy1 no matter how much money ,i had4 ,of ,whistlers ,i have fifty-one1 and ,i carry constantly in my pocket a list of as many more that ,i would be glad to buy if ,i had the chance4 ,i can add that if ,i succeed in getting the others ,i shall then want as many more4 8,while ,whistler has not equalled ,rembrandt in some of the great things1 yet his average is very much higher4 ,the latter etched scores of plates that do his memory no honor2 the former1 on the contrary1 has never etched one that will not be remembered with pleasure4 ,to etch a fine portrait is the surest proof of the master2 the human face is the grandest subject that any artist ever had4 ,i have always thought that ,rembrandt's #8,jan ,lutma' was the grand old man of all etched portraiture1 though it is hard to see in what possible respect it surpasses #8,the ,engraver1' #8,becquet1' #8,drouet1' and other portraits by ,whistler4 8,rembrandt's #8,three ,trees1' in landscape1 is a greater plate than ,whistler's #8,zaandam1' though the latter is well-nigh perfection4 ,i know no ,rembrandt interior that approaches ,whistler's #8,kitchen1' and ,i know no exteriors1 unless possibly a few by ,meryon1 that approach his #8,palaces1' #8,the ,doorway1' #8,two ,doorways1' the #8,embroidered ,curtain1' and a score or two of others that are well known to all lovers of black and white4 8,this story was started on ,whistler ten or twelve years ago1 and has been on its travels ever since3 ,some one asked him which of his etchings he thought the best4 ,his answer was1 #8,all of them4' ,and he told the truth4 ,of plates that he thought much of1 when ,i saw him thirteen years ago1 the little #8,marie ,loches1' which is another name for the ,mayor's residence1 was hung over his desk1 and ,i distinctly remember that the fine #8,pierrot1' in the ,amsterdam set1 was also a prime favorite of his4 ,later ,i have heard it said that the portrait of #8,annie' he regarded as his finest figure piece40 ,in ,february1 #ahhc1 he exhibited in ,london1 in the rooms of the ,fine ,arts ,society1 fifty-one etchings and dry-points4 ,it was1 according to the placards1--and in reality1--an 8,arrangement in ,yellow and ,white10 for the room was white1 with yellow mouldings2 the frames of the prints white1 the chairs white1 the ottomans yellow2 the draperies were yellow1 with white butterflies2 there were yellow flowers in yellow ,japanese vases on the mantels2 and even the attendants were clothed in white and yellow4 ,as a ,french artist remarked1 8,it was a dream of yellow40 ,this1 however1 is how it struck some of the angry critics1 who were impaled in the catalogue3 8,while ,mr4 ,whistler's staring study in yellow and white was open to the public we did not notice it1--for notice would have been advertisement1 and we did not choose to advertise him4 8,of the arrangement in yellow and white1 we note that it was simply an insult to the visitors1--almost intolerable to any one possessing an eye for color1 which ,mr4 ,whistler1 fortunately for him1 does not1--and absolutely sickening 7in the strictest sense of the word7 to those at all sensitive in such matters4 #8,i feel sick and giddy in this hateful room1' remarked a lady to us after she had been there but a few minutes4 ,even the common cottage chairs1 painted a coarse yellow1 did not solace the visitors2 and the ornaments on the mantel-piece1 something like old bottle-necks1 only excited a faint smile in the sickened company40#ad ,the sea-sick lady was probably an invention of the writer4 99 99 99 99 99 ,another1 apparently somewhat less susceptible to the 8sickening0 effects of yellow1 simply says3 8,mr4 ,whistler has on view at the ,fine ,art ,society's some half-a-hundred etchings2 but it was not to see these only that he invited his friends1 and many fine people besides1 last ,saturday4 ,in the laudable effort for a new sensation1 he had been engaging in literature2 and a grave servant1 dressed in yellow and white 7to suit the temporary decoration of the walls during the show7 pressed into the hands of those who had come in all innocence to see the etchings a pamphlet in which ,mr4 ,whistler's arrangements had extended to an arrangement of critics40#ae ,the catalogue which stirred the ire of the critics was an innocent little thing in brown-paper cover containing a list of the prints2 but beneath each was a line or two from the critics1 and they were all there in outspoken condemnation of the work of the man who is now placed1 by even the critics1 on a plane with ,rembrandt4 ,some have since confessed their errors in print and begged for the mantle of charity4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the title-page appeared3 8,out of their own mouths shall ye judge them40 ,and here1 as an example1 is what he printed beneath 8,no4 #ea1 ,lagoon2 ,noon40 ,in mercy the names of the critics are omitted4 8,years ago ,james ,whistler was a person of high promise40 8,what the art of ,mr4 ,whistler yields is a tertium quid40 8,all of which gems1 ,i am sincerely thankful to say1 ,i cannot appreciate40 8,as we have hinted1 the series does not represent any ,venice that we much care to remember2 for who wants to remember the degradation of what has been noble1 the foulness of what has been fair80 8,disastrous failures40 8,failures that are complete and failures that are partial40 8,a publicity rarely bestowed upon failures at all40 ,whereupon ,whistler brought the catalogue to a close with these scriptural sentences3 8,therefore is judgment far from us1 neither doth justice overtake us2 we wait for light1 but behold obscurity2 for brightness1 but we walk in darkness40 8,we grope for the wall like the blind1 and we grope as if we had no eyes2 we stumble at noonday as in the night40 8,we roar all1 like bears40 ,whistler's manner of arraigning his critics was his own4 ,no one else could compile such delightful bits of literature as were those catalogues he issued from time to time2 but the idea of publishing adverse criticism with the work criticised was not new4 ,to his first edition of 8,sartor ,resartus0 ,carlyle--,whistler's neighbor in ,chelsea--printed as an appendix the letter of condemnation which ,murray the publisher received from his literary adviser and which led to the rejection of the manuscript4 ,the scheme is not without advantages1--it amuses the reader and confounds the critic1 to which ends books and paintings are created4 99 99 99 99 99 ,how the galled jades winced may be gathered from the following mild comments3 8,mr4 ,whistler's catalogue1 however1 is our present game4 ,he takes for motto1 #8,who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel8' ,but ,mr4 ,whistler mistakes his vocation4 ,he is no butterfly4 ,he might be compared1 perhaps1 to a bird1--the bird that can sing but won't4 ,if one judged1 however1 from some of his etchings1 one would say a spider was nearer his mark4 ,but a butterfly6 the emblem of all that is bright and beautiful in form and color6 ,daniel ,lambert might as reasonably have taken the part of the ,apothecary in #8,romeo and ,juliet1' or ,julia ,pastrana have essayed the rle of ,imogen4 8,criticism is powerless with him in many different ways4 ,it is powerless to correct his taste for wilfully drawing ill4 ,if a school-girl of ten showed such a picture of a human being as this 7referring to illustration71 for instance1 we might criticise usefully enough4 ,we might point out that no human being 7we suppose the thing is intended for a human being1 but it may be meant for a rag-bag7 ever had such features or such shape4 ,but of what use would it be to tell ,mr4 ,whistler as much8 ,he knows it already1 only he despises the public so much that he thinks it will do well enough for them4 8,again1 criticism is powerless to explain what was meant by some such figure as this1 in ,no4 #cc4 ,the legs we can especially answer for1 while the appendages which come where a horse has his feet and pasterns are perfect transcripts--they are things we never could forget4 ,we have not the faintest idea what they really are4 ,we would not insult ,mr4 ,whistler by supposing he tried to draw a horse with the customary equine legs1 and so failed as to produce these marvels4 ,perhaps ,dr4 ,wilson knows of some animal limbed thus strangely4 8,it is because of such insults as these to common sense and common understanding1 and from no ill-will we bear him1 that we refuse seriously to criticise such work as ,mr4 ,whistler has recently brought before the public4 ,whatever in it is good adds to his offence1 for it shows the offence to be wilful1 if not premeditated40#af ,poor etchings1--condemned for their virtues1 condemned for their faults1--there is no health in them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and these and many similar things were written1 only twenty years ago1 of the greatest etchings the world has known since the days of ,rembrandt4 ,when one thinks of the obscurity of ,rembrandt to the day of his death1 and how little his work was known for long after1 of the passing of ,meryon without recognition1 it must be conceded that ,whistler is coming into his own amazingly fast4 99 99 99 99 99 ,senefelder discovered the process1 but ,whistler perfected the art of lithography4 ,it was not until #ahgg1 twenty years after he began etching1 that he made his first lithographs4 ,there had been many before him1 but none like him4 ,during the first half of the century the process was in great vogue in ,france1 and men like ,ingres1 ,millet1 ,corot1 and ,delacroix tried the facile stone4 ,one can readily understand how so fascinating a process appealed to ,whistler1 and the wonder is that he did not attempt it earlier4 ,the use of transfer-paper1 whereby the artist is enabled to make his drawing when and where he pleases upon the paper1 instead of being hampered by the heavy stone1 has greatly advanced the art1 though drawing on the stone possesses certain advantages and attractions over the paper4 ,not many years ago ,whistler was called as an expert witness in a case which involved the question whether the use of transfer-paper was lithography4 ,the result of the case is of no consequence4 ,while on the stand1 he turned to the judge1 and said3 8,may ,i be permitted to explain1 my lord1 to these gentlemen 7the jury7 why we are all here80 8,certainly not10 answered the court2 8we are all here because we cannot help it40 ,the witty ruling of the court deprived those present of remarks which would have been not only to the point but greatly amusing4 ,it was in this case that an artist who had written many fine things about ,whistler and his work appeared as a witness on the other side1 and in cross-examining the great painter1 counsel called attention to one of the complimentary things that had been written 78,mr4 ,whistler's almost nothings are priceless071 and asked1 8,you don't dissent to that1 do you1 ,mr4 ,whistler80 ,whistler smiled1 and replied1 8,it is very simple and very proper that ,mr4 ---- should say that sort of a thing1 but ,i attach no importance to it40 ,and it is really true that no man ever enjoyed more having nice things said about his work1 and no man ever attributed less importance to either favorable or unfavorable comments4 ,he accepted both as a matter of course and of no consequence2 neither he nor his work was affected in the slightest degree4 ,in #ahif he exhibited some seventy lithographs in the rooms of the ,fine ,arts ,society1 and they were a revelation of the possibilities of the process in the hands of a master of line4 ,the ,way catalogue1 now out of print1 contained one hundred and thirty1 purporting to cover those printed down to and including #ahif4 ,to this list must be added at least eight more which are well known1 and possibly others4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there are1 therefore1 in existence nearly four hundred etchings and dry-points by ,whistler1 and probably not less than one hundred and fifty lithographs1--a large volume of work for one man1 even if he produced nothing else4 ,stress is here laid upon the mere volume of his work to meet some remarkable views which have been put forth concerning him and to correct the popular impression that his controversies diverted him from his art4 ,he was but sixty-nine when he died4 ,his first etchings appeared in #aheg-eh4 ,for the remainder of his life he averaged twelve plates and lithographs a year1--one a month2 and of this great number1 it is conceded by conservative experts1 the percentage of successful plates and stones is much larger than that of any of his great predecessors4 ,in fact1 there are no failures4 ,some of the plates were more sketchy and of slighter importance than others1 but every one is the genuine expression of the artist's mood at the moment of execution1 and precious accordingly4 ,not many years ago there was in a certain city an exhibition of the slight but pretty work of a famous ,french illustrator4 ,by his grace1 and especially by his happy facility in the drawing of children in checked frocks and gray or brown or blue stockings and stubby shoes1 the work attracted attention1 and1 as always happens with the pretty and the novel1 aroused an enthusiasm quite out of proportion to its real merit4 ,two men fell into a dispute over the merits of the little drawings1 one siding with the throng and maintaining they were great1 the other insisting they were simply pretty1--too pretty to be good and really quite hard and mechanical in execution1--in fact1 quite inconsequential as art4 8,look10 said he1 8at this figure of a child4 ,see how the outline is painfully traced in black and then the colors filled in as mechanically and methodically as if a stencil had been used4 ,what would a ,jap say to that80 8,he would say it is fine4 ,it is ,japanese in color and motive40 8,about as ,japanese as a colored illustration in a modern magazine40 ,the discussion became heated4 ,oddly enough1 at that moment a ,japanese expert1 who was crossing the country on his way to ,europe to catalogue some collections1 entered the room1 and he was appealed to for his opinion of the drawing in question4 ,in broken ,english he said3 8,it is--very--pretty1 very pretty2 but--,i not know how you say it1--but it is what you call--,spencerian1--yes1 that is the name of the copy-books--,spencerian writing1 while a ,japanese drawing is the--autograph--that is the difference--the autograph40 ,and that is the difference between some of the work of even the great ones before him and whatever ,whistler did1--everything he touched was his autograph2 whereas with even ,rembrandt there is the feeling now and then1 though seldom1 of the set purpose1 of the determination to secure a certain result1 of the intention to do something for others4 ,whistler never did anything for any one but himself4 ,he never touched needle or brush to please model1 sitter1 or patron4 ,whenever the work in hand ceased to amuse and interest him as a creation of his own fancy1 he dropped it4 ,he could not work after his interest had evaporated4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is in existence a water-color#ag bearing ,whistler's signature on the back1 and also this endorsement3 8,from my window4 ,this was his first attempt at water-color4--,e4 ,w4 ,godwin40 ,it is a characteristic view of the ,thames with ,old ,battersea ,bridge reaching almost from side to side4 ,in his pastels and water-colors1 as in his etchings and lithographs1 he never forced a delicate medium beyond its limitations4 ,of all artists who ever lived1 ,whistler made the least mystery of his art4 ,he not only expressed his intentions fully in his art1 but also in unmistakable language4 ,in the first of his 8,propositions10 published many years ago1 he laid down certain fundamental principles which controlled his use of etching1 water-color1 and pastel1 the first proposition being3 8,that in art it is criminal to go beyond the means used in its exercise40 ,and he defined the limits of the etcher's plate1 and by implication the dimensions of the water-color and pastel--art's most fragile means4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the famous 8,propositions ,no4 #b0 he formulated the principles which governed his work as a painter1 the first being3 8,a picture is finished when all trace of the means used to bring about the end has disappeared40 ,and the last3 8,the masterpiece should appear as the flower to the painter1--perfect in its bud as in its bloom1--with no reason to explain its presence1 no mission to fulfil1 a joy to the artist1 a delusion to the philanthropist1 a puzzle to the botanist1 an accident of sentiment and alliteration to the literary man40#ah 99 99 99 99 99 ,these two sets of 8,propositions10 read in connection with his one lecture1 the 8,ten o',clock10 which was delivered in ,london1 ,february #bj1 #ahhe1 at ,cambridge1 ,march #bd1 and ,oxford1 ,april #cj1 contain his creed in art4 ,many a painter has written books explanatory of his art1 but none has ever stated so plainly and so tersely the principles which actually governed all he did4 ,whistler was so epigrammatic in utterance that he was not taken seriously1 but accused of paradox4 ,but whoever reads what he has so soberly and earnestly said will better understand his work4 ,and whatever may be thought of reprinting entire the 8,gentle ,art10 there can be no question about the great need of scattering broadcast the 8,propositions0 and the 8,ten o',clock40 ,v ,chelsea--,the ,royal ,academy--8,portrait of ,his ,mother0--8,carlyle0--,grosvenor ,gallery--,the 8,peacock ,room0--,concerning ,exhibitions4 ,after--possibly because--his 8,white ,girl0 was rejected at the ,salon1 he went to ,london and made his home at ,chelsea1 where he had as neighbors ,carlyle1 ,rossetti1 ,george ,eliot1 and others of note in art and literature4 ,carlyle's description of ,chelsea as it was in #ahcd1 when he and his wife moved there1 is interesting1--for the place changed little before ,whistler came4 ,writing to his wife concerning the house he had found1 ,carlyle said3 8,the street runs down upon the river1 which ,i suppose you might see by stretching out your head from the front window1 at a distance of fifty yards on the left4 ,we are called #8,cheyne ,row' proper 7pronounced ,chainie ,row71 and are a #8genteel neighborhood2' two old ladies on one side1 unknown character on the other1 but with #8pianos4' ,the street is flag pathed1 sunk storied1 iron railed1 all old-fashioned and tightly done up2 looks out on a rank of sturdy old pollarded 7that is1 beheaded7 lime-trees1 standing there like giants in tawtie wigs 7for the new boughs are still young72 beyond this a high brick wall2 backwards a garden1 the size of our back one at ,comely ,bank1 with trees1 etc41 in bad culture2 beyond this green hayfields and tree avenues1 once a bishop's pleasure-grounds1 an unpicturesque yet rather cheerful outlook4 ,the house itself is eminent1 antique1 wainscoted to the very ceiling1 and has been all new painted and repaired2 broadish stair with massive balustrade 7in the old style71 corniced and as thick as one's thigh2 floors thick as a rock1 wood of them here and there worm-eaten1 yet capable of cleanness1 and still with thrice the strength of a modern floor4 ,and then as to rooms1 ,goody6 ,three stories beside the sunk story1 in every one of them three apartments1 in depth something like forty feet in all--a front dining-room 7marble chimney-piece1 etc471 then a back dining-room or breakfast-room1 a little narrower by reason of the kitchen stairs2 then out of this1 and narrower still 7to allow a back window1 you consider71 a china-room or pantry1 or ,i know not what1 all shelved and fit to hold crockery for the whole street4 ,such is the ground area1 which1 of course1 continues to the top1 and furnishes every bedroom with a dressing-room or second bedroom2 on the whole a most massive1 roomy1 sufficient old house1 with places1 for example1 to hang1 say1 three dozen hats or cloaks on1 and as many crevices and queer old presses and shelved closets 7all tight and new painted in their way7 as would gratify the most covetous ,goody1--rent1 thirty-five pounds6 ,i confess ,i am strongly tempted4 ,chelsea is a singular heterogeneous kind of spot1 very dirty and confused in some places1 quite beautiful in others1 abounding with antiquities and the traces of great men1--,sir ,thomas ,more1 ,steele1 ,smollett1 etc4 ,our row1 which for the last three doors or so is a street1 and none of the noblest1 runs out upon a #8,parade' 7perhaps they call it71 running along the shore of the river1 a broad highway with huge shady trees1 boats lying moored1 and a smell of shipping and tar4 ,battersea ,bridge 7of wood7 a few yards off2 the broad river1 with white-trowsered1 white-shirted ,cockneys dashing by like arrows in thin1 long canoes of boats2 beyond1 the green1 beautiful knolls of ,surrey1 with their villages1--on the whole a most artificial1 green-painted1 yet lively1 fresh1 almost opera-looking business1 such as you can fancy4 ,finally1 ,chelsea abounds more than any place in omnibi1 and they take you to ,coventry ,street for sixpence4 ,revolve all this in thy fancy and judgment1 my child1 and see what thou canst make of it40#ai ,between ,whistler and ,rossetti there sprang up a friendship that was singular1 considering how diametrically opposite they were to one another in nearly everything4 ,they had1 however1 this in common1--each was in search of a degree of the beautiful quite beyond the grasp of the ordinary mortal2 but of the two1 ,whistler's is incomparably the finer art1 for it is the purer and more abstract1 while ,rossetti's painting exhibited the literary bent very conspicuously1--it was inextricably involved with his poetry4 ,one day he showed ,whistler a sketch which ,whistler liked1 and he urged ,rossetti to go on with it2 but ,rossetti became so infatuated with his conception that instead of finishing the picture he wrote a sonnet on the subject and read it to ,whistler1 who said3 8,rossetti take out the picture and frame the sonnet40 ,life in ,chelsea in those days had its drawbacks4 ,whistler's utter lack of commercial instinct1 his dislike for the dealers1 the habit he had of falling out with any one who discussed money matters with him1 and that reluctance to part with pictures which was a conspicuous trait through life1 often involved him in trouble financially4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in #ahgi ,e4 ,w4 ,godwin designed and built for him a house in ,tite ,street4 ,it was of white brick1 and known as the 8,white ,house10 and is described as having been very artistic in so far as it was settled and furnished1 but for some time only two rooms were in order4 8,everywhere you encountered great packing-cases full of pretty things1 and saw preparations for papering and carpeting1 but somehow or other nothing ever got any forwarder4 ,what was done was perfect in its way4 ,the white wainscoting1 the rich draperies1 the rare ,oriental china1 the pictures and their frames1 the old silver1 all had a charm and a history of their own40#bj ,his powers of persuasion were such that it is said he once tamed a bailiff--temporarily in possession--to a degree of docility little short of amazing1--a favorite word of his4 8,when the man first appeared he tried to wear his hat in the drawing-room and smoke about the house4 ,whistler soon settled that4 ,he went out into the hall and fetched a stick1 and daintily knocked the man's hat off4 ,the man was so surprised that he forgot to be angry1 and within a day or two he had been trained to wait at table4 ,one morning1 when ,mr4 ,whistler was shaving1 a message was brought up that the man 7he was always known in the house as #8the man1' as if he were the only one of his species7 wanted to speak to him4 8#8,very well1 send him up1' said ,mr4 ,whistler4 ,he went on shaving1 and when the man came in said1 abruptly1 #8,now1 then1 what do you want8' 8#8,i want my money1 sir4' 8#8,what money8' 8#8,my possession money1 sir4' 8#8,what1 haven't they given it to you8' 8#8,no1 sir2 it's you that have to give it to me4' 8#8,oh1 the deuce ,i have6' ,and ,mr4 ,whistler laughingly gave him to understand that1 if he wanted money1 his only chance was to apply elsewhere4 8#8,well1 ,i think it's very hard1 sir1' the man began to snivel2 #8,i have my own family to keep1 and my own rent to pay----' 8#8,i'll tell you what ,i advise you to do1' ,mr4 ,whistler returned1 as he gently pushed him out of the room3 #8you should do as ,i do1 and have 8a man0 in your own house4' 8,soon after this the man came and said that if he was not paid he would have to put bills up outside the house announcing a sale4 ,and1 sure enough1 a few days after great posters were stuck up all over the front of the house1 announcing so many tables1 and so many chairs1 and so much old ,nankin china for sale on a given day4 ,mr4 ,whistler enjoyed the joke hugely1 and hastened to send out invitations to all his friends to a luncheon-party1 adding1 as a postscript1 #8,you will know the house by the bills of sale stuck up outside4' ,and the bailiff proved an admirable butler1 and the party one of the merriest ever known40#ba ,the 8,white ,house0 was finally sold1 and it is said that when he moved out he wrote on the wall1 8,except the ,lord build the house1 their labor is in vain that build it1--,e4 ,w4 ,godwin1 ,r4,s4,a41 built this one40 ,speaking of architects1 the story is told that he was once dining1 and dining well1 at the house of a friend in ,london4 ,towards the end of the dinner he was obliged to leave the table and run up-stairs to write a note4 ,in a few moments a great noise was heard in the hall1 and ,whistler was found to have fallen down the stairs4 8,who is your architect80 he asked4 ,his host told him4 8,i might have known it2 the ---- teetotaler60 ,by the irony of fate the 8,white ,house0 was afterwards occupied and much altered by the detested critic of the ,times1--detested possibly because he occupied and dared to alter the house1--and ,whistler asked3 8,shall the birthplace of art become the tomb of its parasite80 ,it was this critic who pronounced a water-color drawing of ,ruskin by ,herkomer the best oil portrait the painter had ever done1--a mistake ,whistler never let the unlucky writer forget4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in those days he exhibited quite frequently at the ,royal ,academy4 ,among the earliest pictures exhibited was 8,at the ,piano40 ,it attracted the attention of the ,scotch painter ,john ,phillip1 who wished to buy it4 ,whistler left the price to him1 and ,phillip sent a check for thirty guineas1 which was entirely satisfactory1 so far as any one knows4 ,thirty thousand dollars has already been paid for one of his very early pictures1 and for any one of a ,illustration half-dozen of his important canvases a bid of fifty thousand dollars may be had any day4 ,it is a question of only a few years when ,whistler's paintings will sell as high as ,rembrandt's4 ,the great galleries of ,europe have not yet entered the field1 and many of the great private collections have no example of his work4 ,a few ,americans1 but not many out of the large number of those who buy pictures regardless of cost1 are already inquiring4 ,when all these factors come into competition1 as they will soon or late1 prices will be realized that will make the dearest of ,english or ,french painters seem cheap4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in #ahgb the portrait of his mother1 an 8,arrangement in ,gray and ,black10 was sent in to the ,academy1 and accepted only after a sharp controversy1 wherein ,sir ,william ,boxall1 ,r4,a41 gave the committee their choice between hanging the picture and accepting his own resignation as one of their number4 8,for10 said he1 8it shall never be told of me that ,i served on a committee which refused such a work as that40 ,the picture was eventually placed with the 8black-and-white0 exhibit1 drawings1 engravings1 etc41 and apparently only the critics saw it4 ,what they said ,whistler has himself recorded4 ,somebody has asked1 ,suppose ,whistler had been taken up and made an ,a4,r4,a41 and in due course an ,r4,a4--what then8 ,the thing is well-nigh inconceivable2 and even if an ,a4,r4,a41 his innate dislike for sham and pretension in art and his sense of humor would have prevented him from becoming a full-fledged academician in a body wherein1 as in all similar bodies1 mutual appreciation1 or at least mutual restraint from honest depreciation1 is essential to existence4 ,whistler would probably have accepted the first degree1 the ,a4,r4,a41 of the fraternity1--for all his life he was personally1 but not in his art1 singularly susceptible to the praise of his fellow-men2 but he would have remained in the ,academy about as long as he remained president of the ,british ,society of ,painters1--just long enough to overturn things generally1 and then get out4 ,once1 when taken to task for referring to a painter who was only an ,a4,r4,a4 as an ,r4,a41 he retorted that it was a difference without a distinction4 ,to the orthodox academicians his work was a mystery4 ,once1 when dining in a restaurant in the ,west ,end1 the waiter1 having difficulty in supplying ,whistler's wants1 said1 8,well1 sir1 ,i can't quite make out what you mean40 8,gad1 sir10 he cried1 in tones of amazement1 8are you an ,r4,a480 ,it is not within the range of possibilities that the ,royal ,academy1 or any other institution1 would have had any perceptible influence on ,whistler's art1--on that side he was indifferent to the influences which affect most men1 to considerations of gain and popular appreciation4 ,in the account of a certain public sale the statement was printed that when one of his pictures was put up it was loudly hissed4 ,he sat down and wrote the editor acknowledging the compliment1 8the distinguished though unconscious compliment so publicly paid4 ,it is rare that recognition so complete is made during the lifetime of the painter40 ,another time he said1 8,there are those1 they tell me1 who have the approval of the public1 and live40 ,long after he ceased to exhibit at the ,academy a lady met him at one of the exhibitions1 and expressed her surprise4 8,well1 you know10 he answered1 8one must do something to lend interest to the show1--so here ,i am40 99 99 99 99 99 ,years after1 the ,academy1 while ,leighton was president1 invited him to send some of his pictures1 and here is the account of what happened3#bb 8,he was in ,brussels4 ,there came a telegram from him to me which was a cry of exultation3 8#8,,my ,,dear ,s43 ,the ,lord hath delivered them into my hands4 ,i am sending you by post their last dying confession4' 8,and so next morning the post duly brought a letter from ,whistler inclosing the official proposal from the ,royal ,academy1 signed by ,mr4 ,eaton1 secretary to that distinguished body1 inviting ,whistler to contribute to a loan exhibition then presently to be held4 ,whistler wrote3 8#8,of course1 ,i refuse4 ,you know me too well to doubt that4 ,do they think they can use me after so long trampling on me8 ,do they think ,i don't see what they want8 ,do they think ,i need them8 ,at last they perceive that they need me1 but in the day of their extremity they shall ask in vain4' 8,i am quoting from memory1 but ,i give the substance accurately4 ,he inclosed his answer to the ,academy1 long since a public document1 with permission to cable it if ,i liked to ,america4 ,i telegraphed ,whistler begging him to send no answer till my letter should reach him4 ,he wired3 #8,i do not understand1 but ,i will wait till to-morrow4' ,i wrote to him in the best ink1 as ,merimee said1 at my command4 ,i tried to point out that the ,academy had offered him the amende honorable2 that their invitation was an acknowledgment of their error1 and was meant as an atonement2 that if he sought to humiliate his enemies1 no humiliation could be so complete as their public surrender1 of which the proof would be the hanging of his works on their walls1 and much else which ,i thought obvious and conclusive4 ,and ,i begged him to remember that ,i had always thought him right1 and always said the world would come round to him1 and that now1 as ever before1 whether right or wrong1 mine was the counsel of a friend4 ,the answer came by wire early next morning3 #8,alas1 my dear ,s41 that you too should have gone over to the enemy6' ,i believe if ,i had but besought him to consider that his acceptance would have been a service to art1 and if he could himself have thought that it would be1 he would have accepted4 ,i never saw ,whistler again1 never heard from him2 a friendship of twenty years came there and then to an end--on his side40 ,in #ahig a circular was mailed to him1 addressed1 8,the ,academy1 ,england40 ,at the post-office they added 8,burlington ,house10 where it was declined4 ,finally the circular reached him1 bearing the endorsement1 8,not known at the ,r4 ,a40 ,he gave it to the press1 saying1 8,in these days of doubtful frequentation1 it is my rare good fortune to be able to send you an unsolicited1 official1 and final certificate of character40 ,the fact was1 mail addressed simply 8,whistler1 ,england10 would reach him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,grosvenor ,gallery1 opened in #ahgg by ,sir ,coutts ,lindsay1 offered an opportunity to many a man who either would not or could not exhibit at the ,academy4 ,it was here that some of ,whistler's best things were shown1--the portraits of ,irving as ,philip ,,ii42 ,miss ,rosa ,corder2 ,miss ,gilchrist1 the actress2 the ,carlyle2 ,miss ,alexander2 and ,lady ,archibald ,campbell1 commonly known as 8,the ,lady with the ,yellow ,buskin10 and many of his famous nocturnes4 ,whistler had a very peculiar laugh1--demoniacal his enemies called it1--and it is said that while his portrait was being painted1 ,irving caught this laugh and used it with effect in the part of ,mephistopheles1--but then1 who knows8 ,the story of the painting and the naming of 8,the ,yellow ,buskin0 is worth repeating4 ,lady ,archibald ,campbell was an exceedingly handsome woman1 and ,whistler expressed the desire to paint her portrait4 ,she graciously consented1 and the sittings began4 ,in those days ,whistler was looked upon in ,london as little less than a mountebank in art1 and one day1 putting it as nicely as she could1 she said3 8,my husband wished me to say that he--he appreciated the honor of your inviting me to sit for a portrait1 but that--that he did not wish to be understood as committing himself in any way1 and the picture must not be considered a commission40 8,dear me1 no10 said ,whistler1 as he painted away2 8under no circumstances4 ,lord ,archibald need give himself no uneasiness1--my compensation is in your condescension4 ,we are doing this for the pleasure there is in it40 ,the portrait was finished1 exhibited as 8,la ,dame au ,brodequin ,jaune10--and duly ridiculed4 ,lady ,campbell's friends expressed surprise that she should have permitted so eccentric an artist to do so ugly a thing4 ,but time went on2 the picture made a profound sensation and won its way4 ,some time after1 ,whistler met ,lady ,campbell in ,london1 and she said to him3 8,my dear ,mr4 ,whistler1 ,i hear my portrait has been exhibited everywhere and become famous40 8,sh--sh--sh60 with finger on lips4 8,so it has1 my dear ,lady ,archibald2 but every discretion has been observed that ,lord ,campbell could desire1--your name is not mentioned4 ,the portrait is known as #8,the ,yellow ,buskin4'0 ,it is now in the ,wilstach collection1 in ,philadelphia4 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler preferred to exhibit his work under conditions which he controlled4 ,as early as #ahgd he gave a special exhibition in ,london1 and in the years #ahhj1 #ahha1 #ahhc1 #ahhd1 and #ahhf he exhibited ,illustration either prints or paintings in the rooms of the ,fine ,arts ,society4 ,he always occupied the place of honor with the ,international ,society at ,knightsbridge4 ,occasionally he would use the galleries of dealers1 but not often1 and then only upon his own terms4 99 99 99 99 99 ,while living at ,chelsea he had ,carlyle as a near neighbor1 and of his own notion he painted the portrait that now hangs in ,glasgow4 ,these two extraordinary beings were quite congenial4 ,the dogmatic old philosopher1 then past seventy-five1 sat day after day to the eccentric painter1 who was nearly forty years his junior1 as patiently as if he were a professional model1 and the sittings were long and tedious4 ,one day1 as he was leaving1 quite exhausted1 he met at the door a little girl in white1 and he asked her name4 8,i am ,miss ,alexander10 she said1 primly1 8and ,i am going to have my portrait painted40 ,the sage shook his head in commiseration1 and muttered1 as he passed on3 8,puir lassie1 puir lassie60 ,if proof were required of the underlying sincerity and earnestness of ,whistler in those days when the world refused to take him seriously1 this long and intimate association with ,carlyle would be more than sufficient4 ,they were neighbors4 ,carlyle had every opportunity of seeing ,whistler on the street and in his studio4 ,seemingly two beings could not be less sympathetic1 and yet the philosopher who had so few good words for any one1 who was the implacable foe of sham and falsehood1 who was intolerant of the society of others1 who cared little for art and less for artists1 freely gave his time and society to the most unpopular painter in ,england4 ,in truth there was a good deal in common between the two1--in the attitude of the one towards literature and what his fellow-writers were saying1 and in the attitude of the other towards art and what his fellow-painters were doing4 ,each stood in his own sphere for the highest ideals1 and no doubt each recognized in the other the quality of sincerity in his profession4 99 99 99 99 99 ,poor ,carlyle6 your name should never be mentioned without an anathema for the scavengers who dealt with your memory4 ,if they are not suffering the torments of the damned1 the mills of the gods have ceased to turn4 ,froude prefaced the ,life of ,carlyle with a long protestation that it contained the truth1 the whole truth1 and nothing but the truth2 which1 it seems1 according to even his notions1 was a lie2 for in the secrecy of his closet he prepared a pamphlet containing the revelations of the ,jewsbury creature1--the expert opinion of 8an ill-natured old maid10 as ,mrs4 ,carlyle called her1--to the effect that ,carlyle should never have married2 and this pamphlet1 containing the salacious tittle-tattle between himself and ,illustration this old maid1 is given the world as presumably his last instalment of revelations1 though no one knows how much similar stuff the ,jewsbury creature1 a romancer by profession1 may have left pigeon-holed for still further harm4 ,and the answer to it all is that ,carlyle1 in spite of the old maid's opinion1 was married2 and what is more to the point1 remained married forty years1 with no more of differences and dissensions1 even accepting all the ,froude-,jewsbury tattle1 than any good wife will have with any good ,scotchman2 and during their long married life she was a help and an inspiration to her husband1 and after her death she was mourned as few wives in the history of mankind have been mourned4 ,a depth beyond the imagination of ,dante must be found for the ,froude-,jewsbury combination4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as the portrait neared completion1 ,carlyle took a good look at it one day1 seemed pleased1 and said3 8,weel1 man1 you have given me a clean collar1 and that is more than ,meester ,watts has done40 ,the portrait was begun and ended as a labor of love1 and for nearly twenty years it remained unsold4 ,after ,carlyle died some citizens of ,glasgow1 from purely patriotic motives1 and with no appreciation whatsoever of the painting1 thought it should be purchased1 and a public subscription was started4 ,when the amount first talked of--quite a small sum--had been nearly subscribed1 ,whistler learned that the subscription paper expressly disavowed all approval of himself and his art1 whereupon he promptly more than doubled the price1 to the dismay of the canny ,scots1 who wished to buy the portrait without the art2 and when they hesitated1 he again raised the price1 to their utter discomfiture1 and the picture was not purchased until #ahia4 ,it is now owned by the corporation of ,glasgow1 and hangs in the public gallery surrounded by a mass of lesser works which completely dwarf its great proportions and render adequate appreciation impossible4 ,it is worth while to visit ,glasgow to see this portrait1 but until the authorities have the good judgment to give it a room1 or at least a wall to itself1 the journey will prove an exasperation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the hanging of pictures is a 8lost art20 and most of the art of pictures is lost in the hanging4 ,a picture is painted in a certain environment of light1 color1 and tone1--and to ,whistler this environment was a vital consideration4 ,for the time being the canvas is the one conspicuous thing in the studio1 of even greater importance than subject or model4 ,from this environment of creation1 and with which it is in perfect harmony1 it is violently forced into conjunction with great squares of atrocious gilt frames and expanses of clashing canvases4 ,a gallery of pictures is the slaughter-house of art2 annual exhibitions are the shambles of beauty4 ,so far as galleries are concerned1 the advantage is usually with the dealer1 for he knows the value of arrangement and shows his best things more or less detached4 ,one by one the gems of his collection are presented to the customer and time given for appreciation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there are but two uses to which a painting can be put with any sense of the fitness of things3 it may be used decoratively alone or in connection with one or two others which harmonize and which are distributed to produce a perfect effect2 this is the noblest use to which a painting of any kind can be put1 the production of an effect in which the painting1 however great1 is but an element in a perfect whole4 ,another and commoner use is the enjoyment of a picture by itself1 as one reads a poem or listens to music1 more or less oblivious to all surroundings4 ,it is obvious that this sort of enjoyment implies the subordination of all surroundings to the painting1 or the poem1 or the music1 the arrangement of the environment so as to secure the greatest possible freedom from intrusive and distracting sights and sounds1--in short1 as regards painting1 the reproduction in a sense of the atmosphere of the studio where the picture was created1 or of the place1 altar1 or chapel for which it was intended2 and it means most emphatically freedom from sharp contrast with pictures by other men and of other times1 schools1 and conditions1 however good1 which will clash precisely as would two orchestras playing different pieces in the same hall4 ,one can imagine ,whistler and ,carlyle--painter and philosopher1 two masters1 each in his vocation--in the studio1 and the growing portrait1 a thing of beauty there1 a bond of union between two men so divergent1 and one can imagine how beautiful the portrait would be anywhere if by itself amidst harmonious surroundings1 whether used as the chief ornament of a dignified hall or placed in a more neutral atmosphere for study and appreciation4 ,but one cannot imagine more destructive surroundings than those of a public gallery1 the walls of which teem with writhing1 wriggling things in huge gilt frames and glaring colors4 ,and the painters1 who ought to know better1 but who encourage these great collections and exhibitions1 who live for them1 work for them1 slave for them1 are more to blame for the existence of these heterogeneous conglomerations than the public1 who do not know better1 but walk helplessly about amidst endless rows of staring canvases1 dimly conscious that all is not right4 99 99 99 99 99 ,pictures of equal merit do not necessarily hang together4 ,a ,velasquez and a ,raphael1 each supremely beautiful in the place for which it is intended1 produce an inharmonious effect if placed side by side4 ,a rabble1 with men or pictures1 is a throng composed of more or less incongruous and unsympathetic units4 ,with the exception of the few instances1 as in the ,turner room in the ,national ,gallery in ,london1 where the works of one man are grouped for the express purpose of comparison and study1 every collection of pictures is a rabble1 and as a whole--ugly4 ,nor does the grouping of the works of one man in one room produce a beautiful effect1 a beautiful room2 not at all1 for they are grouped for a scientific rather than an sthetic purpose1 for the purpose of study and comparison in a room which is1 as it should be1 otherwise barren and neutral4 ,one or1 at most1 two fine pictures are all any ordinary room will stand1 and to produce an effect wherein nothing overwhelmingly predominates1 but everything finds its place and remains there1 requires genius different from but of the same high order as that of the painter1 and that sort of genius has been lacking in the ,western world for some centuries4 ,so low has the once great art of painting fallen that it has helplessly relinquished its original field of great achievement1 the adornment of buildings inside and out1 and that has become a separate trade so incompetently followed that the phrase 8interior decorator0 is one of reproach4 ,and yet little as the commercial 8interior decorator0 knows about decoration1 it is safer to trust to his fustian stock of burlaps1 wall-papers1 imitation leathers1 metals1 lustres1 and illuminations than follow the guidance of the painters themselves1--for1 with rare exceptions1 they know nothing beyond the narrow confines of their frames1 and their own houses and studios resemble curiosity-shops4 ,the art of decoration1 which implies the co-operation of architect1 sculptor1 and painter as a unit1 has not been practised since the sixteenth century1 and not in any high degree of perfection since three hundred years before4 ,with the disintegration of the union among the arts1 each has accomplished endless detached and isolated perfections1 but nothing that is really worth while in the sense that a ,greek temple or a ,gothic cathedral was worth while1--for nothing so chaste and perfect as the former or so sublime and beautiful as the latter has been done since each of the three constructive arts began to work in jealous independence of the others4 99 99 99 99 99 ,rossetti and ,whistler were both friends of the wealthy and eccentric ship-owner ,f4 ,r4 ,leyland1 of ,no4 #ej ,prince's ,gate4 ,he was a collector of things rare and beautiful1 a 8patron0 of art and artists1 a musician1 and altogether a character one associates with ,romance rather than with ,london4 ,it was for him that ,whistler painted the famous 8,peacock ,room10 under the following circumstances3 ,leyland had bought the 8,princess of the ,land of ,porcelain10 and one day ,whistler went to see it in place4 ,he found it in a dining-room which was richly decorated with costly ,spanish leather and a heavy ceiling of wood1 a place altogether too sombre for his bright and brilliant 8,princess10 and he protested against the discord4 99 99 99 99 99 8,what would you do80 asked ,leyland4 8,paint the room40 8,what6 paint that beautiful ,spanish leather80 8,most assuredly1--if this is to be the boudoir of the #8,princess4'0 ,whistler was told to go ahead and make the room harmonize with the painting4 ,he started in and covered every inch of wall surface1 even the insides of the shutters1 with a wonderful scheme of decoration in blue and gold1 the brilliant coloring of the peacock1 making a color-effect rich beyond description4 ,unhappily1 nothing had been said concerning the price1 and that finally named by ,leyland seemed to ,whistler quite inadequate2 but he made no complaint and went on with the work4 ,the trouble came when ,leyland paid in pounds instead of in guineas4 ,that was more than ,whistler could stand4 ,all professional men in ,england being paid in guineas1 he would not permit art to be dealt with as merchandise4 ,he felt1 therefore1 that he had been robbed of his shillings1 and the whole affair1 which from the beginning had been a matter of pleasure rather than of profit with him1 was placed on a commercial footing4 ,considering the time spent1 the surface covered1 the work done1 the price fixed by ,leyland was quite inadequate4 ,then1 to pay in scant pounds1 instead of full guineas1 that was1 in truth1 adding insult to injury4 ,the work was not quite complete1 and he took his revenge by painting his 8patron0 in the guise of a peacock1 with his claws on what might be mere decoration1 or1 as any one might fancy1 a pile of guineas4 ,the likeness was not immediately perceptible1 but1 with a hint1 the world soon saw it1 and laughed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,leyland has been dead a long time1 and the house has passed from his family1 but the 8,peacock ,room0 is still in existence1 and the curious visitor is occasionally1 but not often1 admitted4 ,the 8,princess0 no longer hangs at one end1 for long ago she went to ,scotland1 and will soon find her way to ,america2 but the two peacocks are at the other end1--one the personification of the grasping 8patron0 and the other bearing a faint though perceptible likeness to the defiant painter with the white lock4 ,the shelves1 which were once filled with the rarest of blue-and-white china1 are now given over to books1 and altogether the place is but a melancholy reminder of former beauty4 ,but the decoration is in good condition1 and could the walls and ceilings be removed and the 8,princess0 restored1 the original effect would be reproduced4 ,the construction of the room was not ,whistler's1 so he worked under great disadvantages in dealing with architectural features1 particularly the ceiling1 which he did not like2 so the room1 if ever removed1 would not represent his ideas of proportion and construction4 ,it would simply show how he made the best of a difficult situation4 ,the architect who designed the room and looked upon the house as his stepping-stone to fame1 when he saw the--to him--desecration1 was completely unbalanced1 went insane1 and died not long after4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if opportunities had offered1 ,whistler would have been a great decorator1 for such was his susceptibility to color that he could not tolerate discordant effects about him4 ,it was ever his habit to decorate his studio1 his house1 or any rooms he occupied to suit his exceedingly fastidious taste4 ,he did not 8decorate0 in the sense the term is accepted nowadays4 ,in truth1 the casual visitor to his studio or to his house would depart under the impression there was no decoration at all1 for neither figures nor patterns made the walls attractive1 yet from floor to ceiling every square inch was a matter of extreme solicitude4 ,he would mix colors and apply them with his own hands until the room was in harmony4 ,even the great barn of an attic which was his studio in ,paris was painted by him1 so that from its dark--not black--rich oak floor1 along base-boards and walls1 to sloping roof1 the effect was such as he sought as an environment for his pictures1--a brown1 a grayish brown1 a soft and singular shade of brown1 hard to describe1 difficult to see1 but delightful to feel in its sober and retiring neutrality1--and that is the best color1 the best tone1 against which to hang ,whistler's paintings in any general exhibition1 for it remains quietly and unobtrusively in the background1 and at the same time the silvery quality in it gives it life4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when ,london laughed at his 8,yellow and ,white0 exhibition of etchings it did not know that a master of color was giving an object-lesson in interior decoration4 ,who can recall without a feeling of restful satisfaction the delightful reception-room of that later home in ,paris1 at #aaj ,rue du ,bac8 ,so simple that1 really1 there was not a conspicuous feature about it1 and yet every detail had been worked out with as much care as he bestowed on a painting4 ,this feature of ,whistler's art1 this susceptibility to color and line in surroundings will be referred to again in the discussion of his exquisite color-sense4 ,for the present it is sufficient to point out that he was something more than a painter of easel pictures2 that instinctively he was akin to those great masters who combined their efforts with those of the architect in the endeavor to produce beautiful results4 ,a sympathetic writer has said3 8,although he was in no way a spendthrift1 he would make every sort of sacrifice to his art4 ,had he been given more opportunity1 there seems no reason to doubt that he would have made other rooms even more beautiful than the famous #8,peacock' dining-room4 ,but1 frankly1 the public did not care for his work enough to buy much of it from him at anything like a fair price2 so that he was obliged to limit himself to comparatively small surfaces1 easel pictures1 over which collectors will soon begin to wrangle1 we dare say1 now that the clever hand which created them can work no more1 and the big1 kind heart which gave this man the courage to fight through fifty years against #8la btise humaine' is cold and still40#bc ,in showing his work to visitors he exercised all the reserve and discretion of the ,japanese1 who places before his guests but one kakemona during that most formal and elaborate of social festivities1 the 8,tea ,ceremony10 or who1 under pressure of repeated requests1 takes from its little box and unfolds from its many silken wrappings one1 just one1 of his precious bits of porcelain4 ,no more on the same day1 lest the surfeited guests fail in appreciation4 ,if in his studio1 ,whistler would first turn to the wall every picture and arrange the few pieces of furniture so that nothing should attract the vagrant eye1 then he would place the one picture he wished seen on the easel in the best of light1 without1 however1 letting it be seen until frame and glass were carefully wiped1 when1 stepping back on a line with his visitor1 he1 too1 would enjoy his work as if he saw it for the first time4 ,he would never exhibit anything he was tired of1 and he never tired of anything he exhibited4 ,this appreciation of his own work1 his enthusiasm over what he had done1 was often misunderstood by people accustomed to the false modesty of artists who stand dumb while others vainly strive to see in their work the beauties which they of all people can best make known4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if time permitted he might bring forth two1 or even three1 pictures1 but rarely more1 and always each by itself4 ,if some visitor1 presuming on his good nature1--and he was indulgent in the extreme to those he liked1--insisted on placing the pictures side by side for comparison1 as is the custom in shops1 he was as uneasy and unhappy as would be a poet if several persons insisted on reading aloud before him several of his poems at the same time1--for what is a picture but a poem1 mute to the ear but clarion-voiced to the eye8 99 99 99 99 99 ,in public exhibitions of his works he had the same sense of the eternal fitness of things4 ,first of all1 the room must be properly lighted1 and ,whistler's paintings require a soft light4 ,in his studio the skylight was well arranged with shades1 so he could keep the light soft and constant2 and frequently he would draw the shades so as to make the room quite dark1 and then view portrait and sitter as they loomed up in shadow4 8,some students planned to call on him one ,new ,year's morning4 ,a friendly student1 not at all sure that ,whistler would like it1 gave him a little tip as to the surprise party4 8#8,tell them that ,i never receive callers1' he exclaimed1 excitedly4 ,the student explained that he wasn't supposed to know anything about it4 8#8,are you sure they mean well8' he inquired1 anxiously4 ,and on being reassured1 #8,well1 tell them ,i never receive visitors in the morning4' 8,the students called in the afternoon1 and found awaiting them a most genial and delightful host4 ,he told stories and showed them his palettes to prove that he practised what he preached1 and pictures and sketches were exhibited to them never seen by the public1 among the surprising ones being some allegorical studies4 ,he served them with champagne and fruits and cakes1 and was most solicitous as to their enjoyment4 ,one of them asked him how he arranged his subjects so as to produce the low tone noted in his pictures4 ,he posed a visitor1 pulled over the shades so as to shut out all light1 save from one window1 and there before them was a living ,whistler #8arrangement' ready to recede behind a frame1 as he says all portraits should do40 ,it is a pity to ever subject his pictures to the trying light of the usual gallery1 and it is a still greater pity to exhibit them at night in competition with foot-lights and foyer4 ,his work should not be made the attraction for either a 8five-o'clock tea0 or a dress rehearsal4 ,people who will not go during the day are not worth inviting4 ,the fact that people are content to view the best paintings of all time by artificial light1 and even profess to find a 8softness0 and 8charm0 lacking by day1 is but additional evidence of that want of susceptibility and fine feeling which characterizes the modern world1 artists and laymen alike4 ,for no picture that was painted by daylight should be seen at night1 if all its beauties are to be felt4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a room for the exhibition of his pictures should be of precisely the right tone1 and this is a matter of no little difficulty4 ,when president of the ,society of ,british ,artists1 in #ahhf1 his arrangement of the rooms was criticised as being 8tentative10 because he had left the battens on the walls2 whereupon he wrote that in the engineering of the light and the treatment of the walls and the arrangement of the draperies everything was intentional2 that the battens were meant to remain1 8not only for their use1 but as bringing parallel lines into play that subdivide charmingly the lower portions of the walls and add to their light appearance2 that the whole combination is complete40 ,there is a hint to all managers of exhibitions4 99 99 99 99 99 ,to summarize the foregoing suggestions3 ,the tone of the walls should be such as to keep them in the background4 ,the monotonous blankness of the walls may be broken by unobtrusive lines1 not arbitrarily for effect1 but justifiably for use and effect4 ,only such draperies should be used as are absolutely necessary to reduce vacancies or to soften harsh lines1 and these should lose themselves in the tone of the room4 ,floor should be low in tone1 the rich1 dark brown of old oak keeping its place under foot best of all4 ,if the room is large and a few chairs and benches are admitted1 they should be of wood1 plain and for service alone1 as becomes a room that is arranged but for one purpose1--namely1 the exhibition of certain pictures1--and they should be painted or stained in tone to correspond with the room4 ,the light should be under absolute control1 and kept quite soft1 diffused1 and constant throughout the day4 ,the room should be closed at night1 or at least the people fully warned by notices in catalogue and elsewhere that if they have any real desire to see and understand the pictures they will come during the day4 ,the pictures should be well spaced1 so that each may1 to a certain degree1 be studied by itself1 for each is as complete a work as a piece of music4 ,in short1 in an exhibition of pictures1 or of anything else1 everything should be subordinated to the things exhibited2 nothing should be permitted to obtrude upon the attention to their disadvantage2 the work of the decorator and furnisher on such an occasion is perfect when it is unnoticed4 ,for black-and-whites1 experiments in color may be made1 but for paintings which are compositions in color the background should be neutral1--silent like the background of music4 ,as every one knows1 green and red1 side by side1 accentuate and help each other2 therefore1 pictures in which the prevailing tone is green are helped by a red or crimson background1 while pictures in which the prevailing tone is red are helped by a green background4 ,the foregoing is elementary and a matter of common observation1 and the walls of art galleries and exhibitions are frequently covered with either a shade of green or a shade of crimson2 but in placing pictures no discrimination is exercised1--landscapes and marines in which green predominates are placed side by side with portraits and interiors in which red frequently predominates on the same green or red background1 to the advantage of one set of pictures and the detriment of the other4 ,so far as color-effect is concerned1 the pictures themselves go very well side by side1 the red of the life pieces helping the green of the nature pieces1 and vice versa2 but if the background is permitted to assert itself1 if the pictures are spaced on the wall1 any background which accentuates the one class does so at the expense of the other4 ,if pictures in which the prevailing tone is green are to be placed on the same wall with pictures in which red predominates1 the background should be neither red nor green1 but1 theoretically1 a gray1 which is neutral and helps all colors in contrast2 practically1 however1 a grayish hue of brown1 because pure gray requires a greater expanse of wall between each picture than the exigencies of an exhibition or of a typical picture gallery permit1 while the element of brown permits the wall to assert itself a little more positively between the frames1 and1 at the same time1 the quality of neutrality is almost as well preserved4 ,the stronger the tone of the background the nearer together pictures may be placed2 the weaker and more neutral the background the wider the spacing must be1--a pure gray requiring the widest spacing of all backgrounds1 a deep crimson the narrowest4 ,in other words1 it requires a wide expanse of gray to support a little color1 while a very little crimson will carry a very large expanse of color in the way of gilt frames and strong landscapes and marines4 ,wide frames1 whether of gold or dark wood1 enable green walls to carry green pictures and red walls to carry red pictures without the pictures suffering so much2 the frames intervene1 and the immediate contrast is between canvas and frame instead of canvas and wall4 ,but the secondary contrast is there and is felt precisely in proportion to the extent of the spacing between the pictures1 and the pictures suffer accordingly4 ,,vi ,the ,ruskin ,suit--,his ,attitude towards the ,world and towards ,art--8,the ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies0--,critics and ,criticism4 ,in #ahgg ,ruskin1 passing through the ,grosvenor ,gallery1 caught sight of something the like of which he had never seen in the world of art4 ,it was the 8,nocturne1 ,black and ,gold4 ,the ,falling ,rocket10 a faithful transcript of the painter's impression of a night-scene in ,cremorne ,gardens4 ,but ,ruskin cared less for the subtle glories of night than for the more garish beauties of the day1 and still less for the sights and sounds of ,cremorne ,gardens1 and neither he nor any one else in either modern or ancient world knew anything at all about the painting of night as ,whistler painted it4 ,it is not surprising1 therefore1 that he was startled1 for the picture seemed to violate all those canons of art which he had laid down in ,english the beauty of which more than condones his every error1 and in the impulse of the moment he wrote in a number of ,fors ,clavigera3 8,for ,mr4 ,whistler's own sake1 no less than for the protection of the purchaser1 ,sir ,coutts ,lindsay ought not to have admitted works into the gallery in which the ill-educated conceit of the artist so nearly ,illustration approached the aspect of wilful imposture4 ,i have seen and heard much of cockney impudence before now1 but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face40 99 99 99 99 99 ,by way of extenuation1 it must be borne in mind that this was written off-hand1 at a time when ,ruskin was saying so many extravagant things1 though with them so many profoundly true things1 that no one quite understood him1 and many thought him not quite sound mentally4 ,the habit of sweeping generalizations1 of extravagant appreciations and depreciations had grown apace since the publication of the first volume of 8,modern ,painters10 nearly forty years before1 and he invariably yielded to the impression or the prejudice of the moment4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if ,ruskin1 in estimating ,whistler1 had paused but a moment and recalled just a paragraph from the preface to the second edition of the first volume of 8,modern ,painters0 he would have been more tolerant1 for he there said3 8,all that is highest in art1 all that is creative and imaginative1 is formed and created by every great master for himself1 and cannot be repeated or imitated by others4 ,we judge of the excellence of a rising writer1 not so much by the resemblance of his works to what has been done before as by their difference from it2 and while we advise him1 in the first trials of strength1 to set certain models before him1 with respect to inferior points1--one for versification1 another for arrangement1 another for treatment1--we yet admit not his greatness until he has broken away from all his models and struck forth versification1 arrangement1 and treatment of his own40 ,and was not ,ruskin himself the life-long apologist for a most original and extraordinary genius1--a man who to his last days was as little understood as ,whistler8 ,here are some things that were said of ,turner as late as #ahdb1 when he was doing some of his best work3 8,the #8,dogano' 7sic7 and #8,campo ,santo' have a glorious ensemble1 and are produced by wonderful art1 but they mean nothing4 ,they are produced as if by throwing handfuls of white and blue and red at the canvas1 letting what chanced to stick1 stick1 and then shadowing in some forms to make the appearance of a picture2 and yet there is a fine harmony in the highest range of color to please the sense of vision4 ,we admire and we lament to see such genius so employed4 ,but #8,farther on you may fare worse4' ,no4 #ahb is a snow-storm of most unintelligible character1--the snow-storm of a confused dream1 with a steamboat #8making signals1' and 7apparently1 like the painter who was in it7 #8going by the head' 7lead874 ,neither by land nor water was such a scene ever witnessed4 ,and of #cch1 #8,burial at ,sea1' though there is a striking effect1 still the whole is so idealized and removed from truth that1 instead of the feeling it ought to effect1 it only excites ridicule4 ,and ,no4 #cec caps all for absurdity1 without even any of the redeeming qualities of the rest4 ,it represents ,bonaparte--facetiously described as the #8,exile and the rock-limpet'--standing on the sea-shore at ,st4 ,helena 444 the whole thing is so truly ludicrous10 etc4#bd ,another writer says3 8,this gentleman has on former occasions chosen to paint with cream1 or chocolate1 yolk of egg1 or currant-jelly1--there he uses his whole array of kitchen-stuff4444 ,we cannot fancy the state of eye which will permit any one cognizant of art to treat these rhapsodies as ,lord ,byron treated #8,christabel2' neither can we believe in any future revolution which shall bring the world round to the opinion of the worshipper1 if worshippers such frenzies still possess40#be ,in reply to these and similar criticisms ,ruskin said3#bf 8,there is nothing so high in art but that a scurrile jest can reach it2 and often the greater the work the easier it is to turn it into ridicule4 ,to appreciate the science of ,turner's color would require the study of a life1 but to laugh at it requires little more than the knowledge that yolk of egg is yellow and spinach green1--a fund of critical information on which the remarks of most of our leading periodicals have been of late years exclusively based4 ,we shall1 however1 in spite of the sulphur-and-treacle criticisms of our ,scotch connoisseurs and the eggs and the spinach of our ,english ones1 endeavor to test the works of this great colorist by a knowledge of nature somewhat more extensive than is to be gained by an acquaintance1 however familiar1 with the apothecary's shop or the dinner-table40 ,there is ,ruskin in arms on the other side1--it making all the difference in the world which ox is gored4 ,what an interesting chapter in the history of appreciation it all makes4 ,here we have the critics fulminating against ,turner in 8egg and spinach0 terms and ,ruskin fulminating against the critics in 8pot and kettle0 terms4 ,a few years later we have ,ruskin fulminating against ,whistler in the same old terms2 but ,whistler greatly improved the language of vituperation by introducing humor1 and answered with words that bit like acid and epigrams pointed like needles--the etcher in controversy4 8,produced as if by throwing handfuls of white and blue and red at the canvas10 said the critic of ,turner4 8,flinging a pot of paint in the public's face10 said ,ruskin of ,whistler4 ,beyond this1 criticism begins to be personal4 ,and ,whistler drew the line on the 8pot and kettle0 stage and brought suit for libel4 ,the case was heard in ,november1 #ahgh1 before ,baron ,huddleston and a special jury4 ,the cross-examination of ,whistler by the attorney-general1 who appeared for the defendant1 was one of the features of the case1 and brought out many of the artist's views concerning art and art critics4 ,it is said that during the trial one of ,whistler's counsel was holding up the nocturne in controversy before the jury1 when one of the counsel on the other side called out3 8,you are holding that upside down40 8,no1 ,i'm not40 8,i tell you1 you are40 8,how do you know which is the top and which is the bottom80 8,oh1 ,i don't know2 only when ,i saw it hanging in the ,grosvenor ,gallery it was the other side up40 ,whereupon--out of deference to precedent--the nocturne was reversed4 ,when ,whistler was asked whether the nocturne represented a view of ,cremorne1 he answered3 8,if it were called a view of ,cremorne1 it would certainly bring about nothing but disappointment on the part of the beholders4 ,it is an artistic arrangement40 ,and again1 when asked whether a certain nocturne in blue and silver was a 8correct0 representation of ,battersea ,bridge1 he replied3 8,i did not intend it to be a #8correct' portrait of the bridge4 ,it is only a moonlight scene1 and the pier in the centre of the picture may not be like the piers at ,battersea ,bridge as you know them in broad daylight4 ,as to what the picture represents1 that depends upon who looks at it4 ,to some it may represent all that is intended2 to others it may represent nothing40 8,the prevailing color is blue80 8,perhaps40 8,are these figures on the top of the bridge intended for people80 8,they are just what you like40 8,is that a barge beneath80 8,yes4 ,i am very much encouraged at your perceiving that4 ,my whole scheme was only to bring about a certain harmony of color40 99 99 99 99 99 ,mr4 ,ruskin did not appear1 but others testified in his behalf4 ,edward ,burne-,jones admitted the picture had fine color1 but found absolutely no detail and composition4 ,it was 8bewildering in form10 and 8one of the thousand failures to paint night10 and 8not worth two hundred guineas40 ,all of which opinions have been reversed by time1--even to the value1 which quintupled many years ago4 ,mr4 ,frith--of whose art both ,burne-,jones and ,ruskin probably had opinions that could not be expressed in temperate language--presented his credentials as the author of the 8,railway ,station10 8,derby ,day10 and the 8,rakes ,progress10 and testified that ,whistler's pictures were 8not serious works of art40 ,but1 then1 he confessed he had not been invited to exhibit at the ,grosvenor ,gallery1 and1 as every one knows1 what is considered art in one exhibition may not be so considered in another4 ,and ,tom ,taylor1 of the ,times1--well1 for ,tom ,taylor's testimony and opinions one must go to the 8,gentle ,art40 ,it is his one sure niche in the temple of fame4 ,in addressing the jury1 the attorney-general said 8he did not know when so much amusement had been offered to the ,british public as by ,mr4 ,whistler's pictures40 ,the verdict was for the plaintiff1 and the damages assessed at one farthing2 which coin ,whistler wore on his chain long afterwards4 ,the costs assessed against ,ruskin amounted to #chf #abs4 #d;d41 and were paid by public subscription1 one hundred and twenty persons contributing4 ,concerning this suit1 ,ruskin said1 8,i am blamed by my prudent acquaintances for being too personal2 but1 truly1 ,i find vaguely objurgatory language generally a mere form of what ,plato calls #8shadow-fighting4'0 ,and long after1 when a friend asked him about the case1 he said1 8,i am afraid of a libel action if ,i open my mouth2 and if ,i can't say what ,i like about a person1 ,i prefer to say nothing at all40#bg 99 99 99 99 99 ,even ,ruskin could not say what he liked about any one1 though every one1 including the victim1 might like the manner of his saying it4 ,still1 it will ever remain a matter of wonder how ,whistler induced an ,english jury1 who could not possibly understand him1 to give him a nominal verdict and saddle the costs upon ,ruskin1 who was something of a popular idol4 ,whistler's lawyers must have been cleverer than those of the other side4 ,the attorney-general probably proved1 as his speech indicates1 a clumsy defender in a case involving nice questions of art4 ,be it said to the credit of ,whistler's sagacity1 he always employed the best lawyers available4 ,he once said1 8,poor lawyers1 like poor paintings1 are dear at any price40 99 99 99 99 99 ,while ,whistler had practised the gentle art of making enemies from the beginning of his career1 his suit against ,ruskin was1 so to speak1 his first public appearance1 and he threw his dart at a shining mark4 ,what his real feelings towards ,ruskin were no man can say1--for towards the public and his critics he was one man1 towards his art he was quite another4 ,to the world he seemed the incarnation of vanity and conceit2 to the few whose privilege it was to see him at work he appeared1 and was1 the embodiment of sincerity and earnestness1 of simplicity to the verge of diffidence4 ,it is impossible to conceive two personalities so different as ,whistler at work and ,whistler at play1 and all his controversies were play to him1 the amusement of his hours of relaxation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,he sued ,ruskin1 not because his status before art was in any wise affected1 but because his status before the public was assailed2 not because he cared the snap of his finger for any adverse opinion concerning his pictures1 but because he felt that he had a certain position1 pose one might say1 to maintain1 and because it amused him to sue one who was considered so infallible2 and he1 no doubt1 felt reasonably sure he would be more than recompensed by the solemn testimony of opposing witnesses4 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler has been so often charged with being a poser that in the eyes of the world he really must have seemed so4 ,he was a poser in the sense already indicated1--namely1 he was one man before the public and another at work4 ,in this sense every man clever enough to forget himself at times is something of a poser1 for only the stupid who can talk nothing but 8shop10 wherever they are1 are the same day in and day out4 ,most men are able to leave their work behind and adopt a rle more or less artificial in social intercourse4 ,the brilliant few who make society possess this faculty in an eminent degree4 ,the objection that social ,england has against the shopkeeper is1 no doubt1 based upon many sad experiences that the shopkeeper brings his shop with him to dinner1 and will not1 or cannot1 pose to the extent of forgetting his material concerns in the presence of the frivolous4 ,the preacher1 the politician1 the lawyer1 the soldier may introduce a little 8shop0 in general conversation1 for these occupations are supposed to have a more general interest2 but the butcher1 the baker1 and the candlestick-maker cannot4 ,but preacher1 politician1 lawyer1 and soldier make the better guests if they pose a little and forget1 for the time being1 their occupations4 ,convictions must be introduced sparingly in social intercourse2 a very few go a great way4 ,why not adopt and duly post some such salutary rule as this8 ,in social intercourse the utterance of one's profound convictions shall bear the same ratio to one's total utterances on any given occasion that the speaker bears to the number present and participating in the conversation4 ,that is to say1 if the conversation is between two alone1 half that either says may be his convictions1 the other half a polite1 though futile1 endeavor to understand the other's convictions4 ,if at a table of twelve1 about a twelfth of one's real thoughts are permissible1 and all that1 in justice to others1 should be attempted4 ,but1 then1 conversation is a lost art4 ,an ,athenian could talk better about everything than a modern can talk about anything4 ,cast a subject1 a thought1 so much as a suggestion1 into a knot of ,greeks1 and in a trice1 like dogs over a bone1 they would be wrestling with it1 and the less they knew about it the brighter the discussion4 ,knowledge is the last refuge of the stupid4 ,facts are the sinkers of talk4 ,ideas are the flash-lights of the imagination2 and conversation depends not upon knowledge but upon ideas4 ,one who knows nothing of a subject may have more ideas concerning it than one who knows all about4 ,women are frequently better conversers than men1 because less hampered by facts4 ,knowledge is a heavy weight for conversation to carry4 ,but of all the bores who find their way to the dinner-table the specialist in knowledge is the most hopeless4 ,the man who knows everything about something is at the stupid end2 the man who knows something about everything at the brilliant1 with a place at his right hand for the woman who knows nothing about anything4 ,whistler was of the choice few who would never speak seriously of his serious pursuits in general conversation4 ,at those very moments when he seemed to be saying most about art and artists he was in reality saying least of what he really thought4 ,when he talked most of himself he said nothing that he really felt4 ,it was almost impossible to draw from him a serious opinion concerning a picture or a painter4 ,though he might rail by the hour against this man or that1 if the mood seized him1 it all meant nothing4 ,in his studio1 when at work1 opinions and appreciations worth remembering would drop from his lips2 but he rarely committed himself2 not because his convictions were not clear1 but because he seldom thought it worth while4 99 99 99 99 99 ,once he was dining with quite a distinguished company4 ,the conversation--possibly as tribute to the presence of so noted an artist--turned upon art1 and finally upon a notorious picture1 called 8,nana10 of a naked woman on a couch1 that was quite a sensation in ,london4 ,it has been seen on this side4 ,loud were the expressions of approval4 ,whistler remained silent4 8,what do you think of #8,nana1' ,mr4 ,whistler80 asked the distinguished lady at his right4 8,is it not wonderful8--so life-like10 exclaimed the distinguished lady at his left4 ,but ,whistler1 apparently spellbound by the bird before him1 was silent4 8,but1 ,mr4 ,whistler1 you have not told us what you think about #8,nana1'0 said the distinguished lady opposite4 ,at bay at last1 he said3 8,really1 madam1 you know1 it is quite--presumptious--quite1 for one who--who is simply1 as one might say1 a painter1 and therefore--you know--not entitled to opinions--to express himself in the presence of so--so many distinguished connoisseurs2 but--since you demand my opinion--as a highwayman would a purse--,i yield to superior strength and say--with all deference--that #8,nana' is--trash40 8,oh60 8,oh1 ,mr4 ,whistler40 8,but have you seen it80 8,no40 8,then1 how can you say it is trash80 8,it must be--it--is so--popular40 8,will you go to see it80 8,that is not necessary40 8,but ,i want you to go with me to-morrow to see #8,nana4'0 ,and the charming lady on his right insisted so imperiously that he should go with her and several of the company who wished to be of the party1 that he yielded1 saying1 however3 8,on one condition40 8,what is it80 8,that you will go with me afterward1 to the ,national ,gallery and see some pictures ,i am sure you have never seen40 8,some new ones80 8,to you--yes40 ,it was agreed2 and the following day ,whistler with several of the party paid each a shilling to see 8,nana0 stretched at ease under a strong light at the far end of a dark room4 ,it might have been a painting or 8,nana0 herself1 the realism was so gross4 ,all save ,whistler were in raptures over the wondrous thing4 ,he was silent4 ,then they went to the ,national ,gallery1 and he took them before one great portrait after another4 8,but we have seen these before10 chorused the voices4 8,impossible60 exclaimed ,whistler4 8,oh1 yes1 many times10 sang the voices4 8,but you do not like them2 you detest them40 8,oh1 no6 no6 no----60 8,but they are not at all like #8,nana'2 they haven't #8,nana's' wonderful flesh-tones1 #8,nana's' beautiful skin2 are not so life-like as #8,nana1' and beside #8,nana' you must consider them as poor1 wretched daubs40 ,and so he took them from one masterpiece to another1 repeating before each one their raptures over 8,nana0 until they were silent4 ,then he said3 8,i have shown you some pictures that are considered good by those whose opinions are precious1 and you have not found in one a single characteristic that you admired in #8,nana1' and you yourselves would not admit her to this glorious company2 therefore1 again ,i say1 #8,nana' is--trash40 ,in the sense1 therefore1 that he presented a careless1 trivial1 or cynical side to the public and a serious side to his art1 ,whistler was a poser1 and during his idle hours he had the habit of amusing himself at the expense of any one who crossed his path4 ,and why not8 ,did not the world try so hard to amuse itself at his expense8 ,were his feelings spared8 ,was aught of ridicule or insult that human ingenuity could devise withheld8 ,but his opponents were so clumsy that1 save as he himself preserved their crude repartees1 only his epigrammatic utterances are remembered2 and therefore he has all the blame for the controversies1 while the truth is that1 considering the flood of opprobrium poured out upon him in print and in speech1 he said very little1 took but occasional notice of his assailants4 ,all he said fills but a portion of a small book1--the 8,gentle ,art10--while his opponents have the balance2 and if all adverse personal comments of a despicable nature were gathered together from both sides of the ,atlantic1 they would make up many closely-printed volumes4 ,for a man who could write so well1 ,whistler exercised great restraint in writing so little1 but--that little6 99 99 99 99 99 ,and yet it is a pity1 from one point of view1 that he wrote at all2 his art did not need it1 and in the way of general estimation and recognition suffers not a little on account of it4 ,for twenty-odd years the public has been amused1 startled1 and irritated by the letters and utterances which make up 8,the ,gentle ,art of ,making ,enemies10 and it will be many a long day before they are so far forgotten that ,whistler's art will be judged wholly upon its merits4 ,if the 8,gentle ,art0 did not exist as it does in its harmony in brown1 ,english literature would lack a volume which is in itself a bit of art and unique of its kind4 ,there is nothing at all like it1 and only ,whistler could have done it4 ,the book is a perfect expression of one side of his many-sided and extraordinary personality1 and as such is therefore a work of art1 and1 at the same time1 material which cannot be spared if the man is to be thoroughly understood2 but it reveals the side which is least worth understanding1 it accentuates traits which are inconsequential1 and it gives the public an entirely erroneous impression1 because the public find it easy to buy and read the book1 but difficult to so much as see the pictures1 and quite impossible to understand them when they do see them4 ,in ,whistler's life the writing of the few lines and the putting together of the matter contained in the 8,gentle ,art0 occupied an almost infinitesimal fraction of his leisure hours1 whereas for fifty years he painted1 etched1 and lithographed industriously2 yet1 so far as the public of ,england and ,america is concerned1 his controversies overshadow his art2 while to the ,french1 who happily could not read the book1 he is known only as an artist4 99 99 99 99 99 ,criticism of art afforded ,whistler a world of amusement1 and the art critic was his especial aversion4 8,that writers should destroy writings to the benefit of writing0 seemed to him just1 but that writers should criticise painting seemed to him altogether illogical4 ,and he quotes the critic of the ,times1 who said of ,velasquez's 8,las ,menimas0 that it was 8slovenly in execution1 poor in color1--being little but a combination of neutral grays and ugly in its forms40 ,and he shows how the same great critic praised a ,turner that turned out to be no ,turner4 ,when this particular critic died1 a few years ago1 ,whistler sorrowfully said1 8,i have hardly a warm personal enemy left40 ,and he showed how one said that ,daubigny had neither drawing nor color1 and another that the works of ,corot to the first impression of an ,englishman 8are the sketches of an amateur10 and another that everything ,courbet touches 8becomes unpleasant40 ,all these by the most eminent critics in the land1--men whose say-so in days gone by made and unmade1 for the time being1 the reputations of artists4 ,and he grouped together a number of ,ruskin's dogmatic utterances1 where in his enthusiasm for certain men he condemned others who were infinitely superior1--as1 for instance1 where he praises without limitations the work of the forgotten ,prout1 and says that ,rembrandt's colors are wrong from beginning to end1 and that 8,vulgarity1 dulness1 or impiety will indeed always express themselves through art in brown and gray1 as in ,rembrandt20 and again where he places ,rubens above ,titian and ,raphael1 and compares an unknown ,mulready with ,albert ,drer1 to the disadvantage of the latter4 ,these things it pleased ,whistler to do1 and he has done them with rare piquancy in the 8,gentle ,art40 ,if what is contained therein savors in aught of malice1 let it be remembered that public1 critics1 painters were snapping at his heels during the years that he was doing the very work which public1 critics1 and painters now worship1 and a lesser man would have yielded to the storm of adverse opinion and ridicule4 ,with the exception of a few friends and admirers1 he was absolutely without support during the period when an artist most needs encouragement4 ,it is everlastingly to his credit that neither the ridicule of others--8the voice of the nation0--nor his own necessities1 and they pressed heavily at times1 caused him to swerve a hair's breadth from what he believed to be worth doing in art4 ,nearly every great artist of whom we have any record has at one time or another in his career yielded to the temptation--frequently under pressure of dire necessity--to do something that would sell4 ,no such reproach can be laid at ,whistler's door4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the galled critics complained that he did not treat them fairly1--that he selected small excerpts from voluminous essays2 whereas1 if he had reprinted the essays entire1 language apparently plain would have been reversed in meaning4 ,for instance1 he of the ,times1 who had written of ,velasquez1 complained that the quotation gave 8exactly the opposite impression to that which the article1 taken as a whole1 conveys40 ,it must have been an extraordinary article to transform what was quoted into praise2 but ,whistler1 in reply1 said3 8,why squabble over your little article8 ,you did print what ,i quote1 you know1 ,tom2 and it is surely unimportant what more you may have written of the ,master4 ,that you should have written anything at all is your crime40 ,ruskin never complained of anything ,whistler wrote4 ,the one utterance which caused the suit for libel was probably the first and last that passed his lips4 ,the eloquent old man never did pay very much attention to what others thought of him2 he was too busy with his own dreams and fancies4 ,he did write what ,whistler quoted about ,rembrandt1 but the whole passage is a lament over the lack of appreciation of color1 and is as follows3 8,for instance3 our reprobation of bright color is1 ,i think1 for the most part1 mere affectation1 and must soon be done away with4 ,vulgarity1 dulness1 or impiety will indeed always express themselves through art in brown and gray1 as in ,rembrandt1 ,caravaggio1 and ,salvator2 but we are not wholly vulgar1 dull1 or impious1 nor1 as moderns1 are we necessarily obliged to continue so in any wise4 ,our greatest men1 whether sad or gay1 still delight1 like the great men of all ages1 in brilliant hues4 ,the coloring of ,scott and ,byron is full and pure2 that of ,keats and ,tennyson rich even to excess4 ,our practical failures in coloring are merely the necessary consequences of our prolonged want of practice during the period of ,renaissance affectation and ignorance2 and the only durable difference between old and modern coloring is the acceptance of certain hues by the modern1 which please him by expressing that melancholy peculiar to his more reflective or sentimental character and the greater variety of them necessary to express his greater science40#bh ,again1 on the subject of color1 he says3 8,we find the greatest artists mainly divided into two groups1--those who paint principally with respect to local color1 headed by ,paul ,veronese1 ,titian1 and ,turner1 and those who paint principally with reference to light and shade irrespective of color1 headed by ,leonardo da ,vinci1 ,rembrandt1 and ,raphael4 ,the noblest members of each of these classes introduce the element proper to the other class1 in a subordinate way4 ,paul ,veronese introduces a subordinate light and shade1 and ,leonardo introduces a subordinate local color4 ,the main difference is1 that with ,leonardo1 ,rembrandt1 and ,raphael vast masses of the picture are lost in comparatively colorless 7dark1 gray1 or brown7 shadow1--these painters beginning with the lights and going down to blackness2 but with ,veronese1 ,titian1 and ,turner the whole picture is like the rose1--glowing with color in the shadows and rising into paler and more delicate hues1 or masses of whiteness1 in the lights1--they having begun with the shadows and gone up to whiteness40 ,ruskin said so much about art1 and said it so dogmatically1 that no one utterance gives an adequate conception of what he thought about any one man4 ,furthermore1 while his language is crystal itself1 his thoughts are often contradictory and confusing in the extreme4 ,for instance1 no man with any sense of color whatsoever would group ,leonardo1 ,rembrandt1 and ,raphael together as men who painted 8irrespective of color10--for no great ,italian from the days of ,giotto to those of ,michael ,angelo painted regardless of color2 on the contrary1 color is the one conspicuous1 brilliant1 and beautiful feature of their work1 and the color-sense1 as it existed in those days in all its exquisite refinement1 is1 generally speaking1 absolutely wanting in ours4 ,in all but color ,rembrandt forgot more than most of the ,italians ever knew2 but in the use of color--not imitatively1 not after the manner of nature1 but decoratively and arbitrarily--the ,italians forgot more than ,rembrandt ever knew2 and1 so far as color is concerned1 there is absolutely nothing in common between ,rembrandt and ,leonardo or ,raphael1 while there is much in common between the two latter4 ,it was not color1 but light1 that ,ruskin appreciated1 as is shown by a hundred passages1 but by none more clearly than that quoted wherein he says of the three painters last named1--and the italics are his1--8these painters beginning with lights and going down to blackness2 but with ,veronese1 ,titian1 and ,turner the whole picture is like the rose1--glowing with color in the shadows and rising into paler and more delicate hues1 or masses of whiteness1 in the lights1--they having begun with the shadows and gone up to whiteness40 99 99 99 99 99 ,when he held his exhibition in ,london1 in #ahib1 of 8,nocturnes1 ,marines1 and ,chevalet ,pieces10--a 8small collection kindly lent their owners10--he once more printed in his dainty brown-paper-covered catalogue1 beneath each picture1 the early comments of press1 critics1 and people1 and called it all 8,the ,voice of a ,people40 ,and what a collection of bizarre opinions it is1 to be sure1 from the serious ,times to the lightsome ,merrie ,england1 which said3 8,he paints in soot colors and mud colors1 but1 far from enjoying the primary hues1 has little or no perception of secondary or tertiary color40 ,which goes to show that the budding science of chromatics is not without effect on vocabularies4 ,here we have the 8kitchen stuff0 criticism of ,turner in #ahdb paraphrased word for word in the mud and soot criticism of ,whistler precisely fifty years later4 ,is the jargon of criticism at once limited and exhausted8 ,are we to linger forever about the cook-stove in the depreciation of art8 ,with the introduction of the steel range of mammoth proportions can we not find new terms of opprobrium8 ,besides1 there are the gas and gasoline stoves of explosive habit1 which ought to be suggestive of novelty in vituperation4 ,but1 alas1 the critic is prone to repeat himself1 and the language of the fathers is visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate4 99 99 99 99 99 ,and press1 critics1 and artists are convicted1 once more1 of incompetency4 ,but what does it matter1 save as a warning that will not be heeded8 ,are we any wiser in our generation8 ,were ,whistler to appear to-day1 as he did forty-odd years ago1 would he be received with the praise his works command now8 ,hardly4 ,many of his followers were quite as absurd in their misplaced admiration as the maligned public in its denunciation1 and no one knew it better than he4 ,he came upon two of them once as they were waxing eloquent before a sketch that had somehow escaped his studio1--possibly overlooked and left behind in some of his movings4 ,he listened a moment to their raptures1 fitted his monocle to his eye1 took a look at this 8masterpiece10 and said3 8,god bless me1 ,i wonder where that came from4 ,not worth the canvas it's painted on40 ,and he turned away4 ,we who have been taught to see1 not wholly but in part1 may laugh at our betters who1 when he first appeared1 could see nothing at all2 but our virtue is acquired4 99 99 99 99 99 ,his attitude towards critics is summed up in the short but pointed article written in ,december1 #ahgh1 shortly after the ,ruskin suit1 and called 8,art and ,art ,critics40 8,shall the painter1 then 7,i foresee the question71 decide upon painting8 ,shall he be the critic and sole authority8 ,aggressive as is this supposition1 ,i fear that1 in the length of time1 his assertion alone has established what even the gentlemen of the quill accept as the canons of art and recognize as the masterpieces of work40 ,all of which is undeniably true4 ,the painter must in the end judge of painting1 and the sculptor judge of sculpture4 ,but there are two distinct sides to a work of art1--to every work1 for that matter3 there is the relation between the worker and his work1 and the relation between the completed work and the public1--the work being the intermediary between artist and people1 his means of communication1 his mode and manner of speech4 ,there is1 therefore1 the process of creation and the process of appreciation1 of utterance and of understanding4 ,the painting of a picture is one thing1 its appreciation by the public is quite another4 ,a man need not be a dramatist to watch the effect of a drama upon the audience2 a man need not own a vineyard to know good wine4 ,the critic stands1 or1 rather1 should stand1 between the public and the work he criticises1 whether it be poem1 painting1 statue1 or drama2 the mistake he commonly makes is in forcing himself between the worker and his work1 and in trying to teach him something only another and better worker in the same art is competent to do4 ,critics make most of their blunders in judging works according to preconceived notions as to how they should be done1--in condemning1 for instance1 a picture because not painted after prevailing modes and methods1 because it is a departure1 whereas with these considerations the lay-critic has nothing to do2 they fall entirely within the province of the painter-critic1 the one man who is competent1 in the long run1 to pass upon the methods employed4 ,every work is an appeal to the public1--its completion and exhibition make it such2 therefore1 every work challenges the critical faculties1 great or small1 of those who see it4 ,it is inevitable that some more interested should spring up to interpret1 rightly or wrongly1 the work to the public2 the artist seldom takes the trouble1--in fact1 has neither the time nor the temperament2 his message is complete in the picture1 others must understand it as best they can4 ,the playwright cannot address the audience save through the play1 the poet speaks only through his poetry1 the painter through his pictures1 the sculptor through the forms of his creation4 ,seldom is an artist gifted with more than one tongue1 and that tongue is his art4 ,how1 then1 can artists interpret the work of artists8 ,how can the painter1 who is dumb save with his brush1 or the sculptor1 who is mute save with his clay and chisel1 tell the world anything about the work of others8 ,it is the business of those who can speak and write to tell the people1 not how the work was created1 unless they were present1 but how it impressed them as a finished thing4 ,that is the province of legitimate criticism4 ,every man who has done his best to understand1 though at the risk of betraying his ignorance1 has the right to say how he likes what he sees or hears or tastes4 ,the opinions of some are worth more than those of others2 and these opinions1 with the reasons therefor1 we are delighted to hear4 ,that is about all there is to sound criticism2 and in that sense comment and those whose profession is to comment are inevitable1--until the sthetic millenium1 when critics cease from troubling and the artists are at rest4 ,ruskin1 unfortunately1 attempted the double duty of telling painters how to paint and the public what to like4 ,with all his industry and considerable talent for drawing1 he was not competent to tell painters how to paint1--though much that he said is accepted as sound1--and his judgments of the relative merits of painters and pictures were biassed by his own convictions regarding the way the work should be done4 ,his limitations were due to his strong preferences and violent prejudices4 ,his devotion to ,turner--a great painter--was one limitation2 lack of appreciation of ,rembrandt was another2 failure to estimate ,velasquez at his real worth was another2 and a lot of enthusiasms for men who are now forgotten are so many additional evidences of lack of judicial temper in ,ruskin4 ,but all these things are as nothings in comparison with the rich store of things said in ,english so strong1 so simple1 and yet so beautiful that it fairly intoxicates and rouses something akin to a religious enthusiasm4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a word concerning the 8,voice of a ,people10 as ,whistler called his little collection of criticisms4 ,what is it8 ,in literature the 8,voice of a ,people0 makes itself heard at the bookseller's counter and over the desk of the circulating library1--and that1 too1 regardless of critics who praise this book and condemn that4 ,sometimes1 before the ,critic has spoken1 the 8,voice0 is heard1 and the presses groan with the burden of their task2 or1 more often1 after the ,critic has had his say1 the 8,voice10 disregarding labored precepts1 calls loudly for what it is told it should not have2 and so in literature the 8,voice0 makes itself heard loud and clear and natural1 and there is no mistaking it4 ,likewise in the drama the insistent 8,voice0 demands trash or otherwise1 quite regardless of the protest of the ,critic4 ,the run of a play is not determined by the criticisms4 ,the opinion of the ,critic is often foreseen and defied2 but neither writer1 manager1 nor actor can foretell the verdict of the 8,voice10--favorable often when least expected2 adverse often when least deserved4 ,but in art the 8,voice0--stentorian in literature and the drama--sinks to a whisper so diffident that it cannot be heard amidst the trumpetings of the ,critics4 ,the ,critics--those whose business it was to write and talk about art--ridiculed ,whistler1 not the 8,voice40 ,left wholly to itself1 it is quite likely the 8,voice0 would have found much that it liked in the beautiful combinations of tones and colors1 for there is nothing inherently repulsive in ,whistler's work1 as in much other that ,critics command the 8,voice0 to praise2 on the contrary1 his paintings are exceedingly restful to the eye1 and exceedingly attractive as schemes of color if nothing else4 ,the 8,voice10 left to itself1 would say1 8,i do not understand them1 but ,i like them1--just as ,i like music1 without knowing much about it40 99 99 99 99 99 ,but the 8,voice0--independent enough in literature1 the drama1 and even in music--dares not lisp in art until the ,critic speaks4 ,then the 8,voice0 praises what he praises1 condemns what he condemns1 until the secret purchases and growing demand for the outcast confounds both ,critic and echoing 8,voice40 ,then the 8,voice0 turns--as it has in the case of ,whistler--and rends the ,critics1 unless those agile gentlemen change sides and praise what they formerly condemned4 ,too bad that ,whistler attributed the 8,voice0 of the ,critic to that long-suffering animal--the ,public1 which1 if often wrong1 is always honest1 and1 in all but art--vociferous4 99 99 99 99 99 ,concerning his habit of persistently impaling the critics1 a writer says3#bi 8,we wish that the catalogue did not1 for the tenth time1 contain quotations from all the dull things which bewildered criticism has said about him4 ,mr4 ,whistler is a wit1 and should recollect that the same old joke must not be told too often to the same old audience40 ,but where is the joke8 ,in the criticisms or in their repetition8 ,if the criticisms were serious1 then repetition is doubly serious4 ,nor is it 8the same old audience10 but each year1 each hour1 a new audience4 ,of all the ,english-speaking people not one in a million have ever heard the joke2 and if joke there be1 it is surely a gracious act to make it known4 ,the far-seeing publisher deftly detaches the favorable comment from uncongenial context and prints it boldly on the fly-leaf of the volume4 ,why should not author or painter print his page of depreciations that1 as ,whistler says1 8history may be cleanly written08 ,and if preserved and printed once1 why not for all time8 ,the record of a people is not complete unless their likes and dislikes be known4 ,what would we not give for the adverse criticisms of ,shakespeare8 ,and there must have been many besides poor ,greene's4 ,what would we not give for some of the off-hand comments of his fellow-actors and his fellow-managers8 ,the world conspires to deceive the world4 ,the literature of adulation is carefully conserved until mortals1 denuded of their frailties1 become gods4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the course of his career ,whistler met with many bizarre appreciations1 but none more astonishing than this3#cj 8,to understand ,mr4 ,whistler you must understand his body4 ,i do not mean that ,mr4 ,whistler has suffered from bad health1--his health has always been excellent2 all great artists have excellent health1 but his constitution is more nervous than robust4 ,he is even a strong man1 but he is lacking in weight4 ,were he six inches taller and his bulk proportionally increased1 his art would be different40 ,the classification of the prize-ring into feather-1 light-1 middle-1 and heavy-weights makes its appearance in art2 genius1 like jockeys1 must weigh-in and-out4 ,by rights1 therefore1 ,paganini should have played the bass-viol and ,napoleon should have been a drummer-boy4 ,the painter must measure his canvas by his belt1 and bant the masterpiece into shape4 ,the gymnasium is the true school of art1 and the dumb-bell is mightier than the brush4 8,for if ,whistler had been six inches taller and his bulk proportionally increased1 444 instead of having painted a dozen portraits1--every one1 even the #8,mother' and #8,miss ,alexander1' which ,i personally take to be the two best1 a little febrile in its extreme beauty1 whilst some1 masterpieces though they be1 are clearly touched with weakness and marked with hysteria1--,mr4 ,whistler would have painted a hundred portraits as strong1 as vigorous1 as decisive1 and as easily accomplished as any by ,velasquez or ,hals40 ,this is the sort of comment that follows but never precedes acquaintance4 ,after knowing a painter1 it is easy to discover all his physical characteristics and idiosyncrasies in his work1--so easy1 in fact1 that many critics prefer to pass on books1 plays1 and pictures on their merits without knowing anything about the authors1 the actors1 or painters2 for in the end a work must stand or fall by itself4 ,from an examination of the 8,hermes10 can this critic give us the stature of ,praxiteles8 ,from the 8,nike0 in the ,louvre can he describe the unknown master8 ,what does the 8,sistine ,madonna0 tell him of the weight of ,raphael1 or the 8,lesson in ,anatomy0 of the 8bulk0 of ,rembrandt8 99 99 99 99 99 ,a man's physical condition may be--frequently is--reflected in his work4 ,if he is an invalid1 what he does is apt to show it1--though ,herbert ,spencer is a case to the contrary2 but his physique is another matter4 ,genius is not a matter of inches4 ,the weight of the brain is not controlled by the size of the body2 still more independent is the organization and development of the brain4 ,if a man have strength and health--and these the critic concedes to ,whistler--his work may be the work of a giant4 ,one of the greatest and strongest of ,germany's living artists is almost a dwarf2 the most virile painter in ,america to-day is short and slight4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the same critic1 referring to the letters in the 8,gentle ,art10 says1 8,if ,mr4 ,whistler had the bull-like health of ,michael ,angelo1 ,rubens1 ,hals1 the letters would never have been written40 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 ,angelo was 8a man of more than usually nervous temperament40 ,as any one at all familiar with his career1 his many controversies1 his voluminous letters1 well knows1 8his temperament exposed him to sudden outbursts of scorn and anger which brought him now and then into violent collision with his neighbors40 ,his habit of ridiculing and annoying his fellow-pupils invited the blow from ,pietro ,torrigiano which gave him his broken nose4 ,he was a weakly child and suffered two illnesses in manhood1 but by carefully refraining from all excesses he regained and preserved his health4 8,his countenance always showed a good and wholesome color4 ,of stature he is as follows3 height middling1 broad in the shoulders2 the rest of the body somewhat slender in proportion40 ,the foregoing scarcely bears out the sweeping generalization that 8the greatest painters1 ,i mean the very greatest1--,michael ,angelo1 ,velasquez1 and ,rubens1--were gifted by nature with as full a measure of health as of genius4 ,their physical constitutions resembled more those of bulls than of men40 ,as for ,velasquez1 who can speak authoritatively for him8 99 99 99 99 99 ,while the physical characteristics of geniuses are habitually exaggerated1 and the weak1 the nervous1 the delicate are made well and strong and 8like bulls0 in the enthusiasm of appreciation or the exigencies of theory1 it would not be difficult to point out in history1 art1 and literature innumerable instances of men whose achievements afford no indications whatsoever of their bodily make up1--in fact1 it is common experience that neither poet nor painter ever corresponds with preconceived notions1 and to meet the one or the other is to court disenchantment4 ,if ,whistler had been six inches taller he would not have been ,angelo1 or ,rembrandt1 or ,velasquez1 but--in all probability--a soldier4 ,,vii ,supreme as a ,colorist--,color and ,music--,his ,susceptibility to ,color--,ruskin and ,color--,art and ,nature4 ,supreme as a colorist1 ,whistler achieved fame as an etcher long before the world acknowledged his greatness as a painter4 ,even now it is the fashion to exalt his etchings to the depreciation of his paintings1--to say that he was a great artist in the one medium but unsuccessful in the other4 ,the following is a fair illustration of this sort of comment3 8,cool-headed conservatism should clarify the halo which encircles ,whistler's portraits4 ,the periodic #8symphonies1' #8harmonies1' and #8arrangements1' in gray and green1 green and rose1 purple and gold1 or brown and black1 have1 or had1 novelty to recommend them1--more novelty1 however1 than psychology4 ,apart from one or two1 they are little beyond essays in subdued ,japonisme with subtle dashes of ,velasquez4 ,the portrait of his mother alone shows adequate depth1 for the overlauded ,carlyle is merely a male replica of the single canvas wherein the artist seemed to lose--and to find--himself4 ,it is not in portraiture1 but in etching and lithography1 that ,whistler has disclosed the validity of his talent40#ca ,to which may be added the following comments since his death from leading ,american papers3 8,whistler in earlier life was a real etcher1 easily the first of the nineteenth century4 ,the number of his plates of the best quality is comparatively small4 ,he soon lost his power or the incentive to execute it4 ,his hand degenerated1 his work became trivial and insincere4 ,as a painter none of his pictures will ever explain to posterity the reputation1 or the apparent reputation1 that he enjoyed during his lifetime40 8,it is1 however1 as an etcher rather than as a painter that ,whistler will be remembered40 8,thus1 setting aside the portraits of his mother1 of ,thomas ,carlyle1 ,lady ,campbell1 and ,miss ,alexander1 and the startling #8,nocturne in ,blue and ,silver1' and the #8,arrangement in ,black1' it might be possible to count upon the fingers of one hand the finest examples of his brush40 ,many others of similar import might be gathered1 but the foregoing suffice4 ,in reading them it should not be forgotten that the etchings1 which are now praised without reserve1 passed through the same stages of depreciation through which the paintings are passing2 so that1 guided by the parallel1 it is reasonable to expect the complete acceptance of the latter as masterpieces in the near future4 ,broadly speaking1 the order of acceptance has been3 ,first4 ,etchings and lithographs4 ,second4 ,portraits4 ,third4 ,color harmonies1--such as many of his figure-pieces1 marines1 nocturnes1 and pure color compositions generally1 none of which is fully accepted1 some of which are scarcely known1 and ,illustration all of which are misunderstood1 in spite of his many explicit words of explanation4 ,such has been the order of general acceptance of his work2 but the order of real merit is almost precisely reversed4 ,whistler stands supreme1-- ,first as a colorist4 ,secondly as a painter of portraits4 ,thirdly as an etcher and lithographer4 ,as an etcher comparisons are drawn between him and ,rembrandt4 ,as a painter of portraits comparisons are drawn between him and ,velasquez4 ,as a colorist he is beyond comparison save with the masters of the far ,east4 ,in etching and lithography and the painting of portraits he1 at most1 simply did as well or better what others have done before2 but in the composition of harmonies of color to please the eye1 as harmonies of sound please the ear1 he accomplished results which are unique4 ,what he did with the needle is not so wholly and absolutely unlike all that had been done before as to render comparisons impossible2 whereas with the brush in his domain of color ,whistler stands alone4 ,his art was his own2 he painted like no other man dead or living4 ,his etchings were so fine1 so subtle1 that the world had difficulty in comprehending them2 but it did learn to like them1 and that1 too1 at a comparatively early date4 ,but even now his pictures are fully understood by no one2 and yet they have had a profounder influence upon the art of to-day than those of any other master4 ,he opened the door of the ,east to the painters of the ,west and showed them how they might paint after the manner of the best there is in the ,oriental world1 and not only retain1 but accentuate their own individuality4 ,the secret of ,whistler's art1 as of all great art1 is that it was the absolutely true and unaffected expression of his convictions and of his impressions of the life and world about him2 and his impressions and convictions in the domain of color1 like those of ,beethoven in the world of sound1 were worth recording4 ,he is to color what ,beethoven is to sound1 and his distinguishing merit is that of all the men of his century or of many preceding centuries he was the only one to treat color as a composer of music treats sound1--as material for the arrangement of harmonies to please the eye as music pleases the ear4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when ,burne-,jones1 in the ,ruskin suit1 was asked if he saw any art quality in 8,the ,falling ,rocket10 he apologetically said1 8,i must speak the truth1 you know10 and then testified3 8,it has fine color and atmosphere10 but of detail and composition 8absolutely none40 ,as if the shower of fire of a falling rocket against the blackness of night could have sharp detail and composition2 as if anything were possible beyond 8fine color and atmosphere20 and color and atmosphere are all ,whistler intended4 8,my whole scheme10 he himself testified1 8was only to bring about a certain harmony of color10 and1 according to the only decently qualified witness for the other side1 he succeeded4 ,even ,frith1 the painter of 8,derby ,day0 and the 8,rake's ,progress10 said1 8,there is a pretty color which pleases the eye1 but there is nothing more40 ,why should there be anything more1 if to please the eye were the painter's sole intention8 ,is it not as legitimate to please the eye with compositions of color1 otherwise meaningless1 as it is to please the ear with compositions of sound8 ,profoundly speaking1 color has no other object than to please the eye4 ,the story should be told1 the moral pointed1 in black and white4 ,the use of color imitatively1 or to accentuate the characterization1 is as base as the use of sound imitatively4 ,color is to the eye precisely what sound is to the ear1 and the highest use to which either can be put is the production of pure1 not to say abstract1 harmonies for the satisfaction of its respective sense4 99 99 99 99 99 ,as long ago as #ahfh ,swinburne1 in a pamphlet on the ,royal ,academy exhibition of that year1 said3 8,no task is harder than this translation from color into speech1 when the speech must be so hoarse and feeble1 when the color is so subtle and sublime4 ,music and verse might strike some string accordant in sound to such painting1 but a version such as this is a psalm of ,tate's to a psalm of ,david's4 ,in all of the main strings touched are certain varying chords of blue and white1 not without interludes of the bright and tender tones of floral purple or red4 ,they all have immediate beauty1 they all give the delight of natural things2 they seem to have grown as a flower grows1 not in any forcing house of ingenious and laborious cunning4 ,this is1 in my eyes1 a special quality of ,mr4 ,whistler's genius2 a freshness and fulness of the loveliest life of things1 with a high1 clear power upon them which seems to educe a picture as the sun does a blossom or a fruit40 ,in language too plain for the slightest misunderstanding he has himself told the world precisely what he meant his pictures to be1 but the world will not take him at his word4 ,nearly thirty years ago1 when the people wondered at his calling his works 8symphonies10 8arrangements10 8harmonies10 and 8nocturnes10 he wrote3 8,the vast majority of ,english folk cannot and will not consider a picture apart from any story which it may be supposed to tell4 8,my picture of a #8,harmony in ,gray and ,gold' is an illustration of my meaning1--a snow-scene with a single black figure and a lighted tavern4 ,i care nothing for the past1 present1 or future of the black figure1 placed there because the black was wanted at that spot4 ,all that ,i know is that my combination of gray and gold is the basis of the picture4 ,now1 this is precisely what my friends cannot grasp4 8,they say1 #8,why not call it 8,trotty ,veck10 and sell it for a round harmony of golden guineas8' naively acknowledging that without baptism there is no 444 market6'0#cb ,and farther on he said3 8,as music is the poetry of sound1 so is painting the poetry of sight1 and the subject-matter has nothing to do with harmony of sound or color4 8,the great musicians knew this4 ,beethoven and the rest wrote music1--simply music2 symphony in this key1 concerto or sonata in that4 8,on ,f or ,g they constructed celestial harmonies1--as harmonies1--combinations evolved from the chorus of ,f or ,g and their minor correlatives4 8,this is pure music as distinguished from airs1--commonplace and vulgar in themselves1 but interesting from their associations1--as1 for instance1 #8,yankee ,doodle'1 or #8,partant pour la ,syrie4' 8,art should be independent of all clap-trap1 should stand alone1 and appeal to the artistic sense of eye or er1 without confounding this with emotions entirely foreign to it1 as devotion1 pity1 love1 patriotism1 and the like4 ,all these have no kind of concern with it2 and that is why ,i insist on calling my works #8arrangements' and #8harmonies4'0#cc ,and concerning the portrait of his mother1 which nearly every one admires for the subject while few pause to consider the color1 he wrote3 8,take the picture of my mother1 exhibited at the ,royal ,academy as an #8,arrangement in ,gray and ,black4' ,now1 that is what it is4 ,to me it is interesting as a picture of my mother2 but what can or ought the public to care about the identity of the portrait80#cd ,within these few lines are contained ,whistler's whole philosophy of art1 his convictions and his intentions2 the words are so plain a child may read and comprehend their meaning1 and yet people will not understand him4 ,whistler's art was purely sensuous1 as the finest music is sensuous4 ,he had no interest whatsoever in the many problems of life and death1 in the story of any person or the traditions of any place4 ,he had less interest in the associations connected with ,old ,battersea ,bridge than the boatman lazily floating by2 but at certain hours and under certain conditions1 at twilight or at dusk1 or in the fog1 it made a long1 tremulous line which pleased him1 and he painted it4 ,the fact that the ,thames bounds ,english history was of no consequence to him2 but the muddy river between lines of buildings and wharves and shipping1 and covered by boats and crossed by bridges1 furnished him endless compositions in line and color4 ,the glory and the romance of ,venice made no impression on his art2 but in out-of-the-way places1 where others saw nothing1 he found scenes which inspired his etchings4 ,as an etcher and a lithographer ,whistler played with the mystery of line1 as in painting he played with the mystery of color4 ,there is an art of pure line as there is an art of pure form and of pure color4 ,it is just as possible to make a lot of meaningless lines which please the eye in their curves and endless variety as it is to please the eye with combinations of colors4 ,decorative patterns and designs1 aside from color1 are simply line harmonies4 ,a child loves to make straight and round and curved lines upon slate or paper4 ,the eye follows lines with a delight akin to that taken in form and color4 ,when the ,savoy ,hotel was in process of construction1 and the great steel beams thrust themselves upward towards the sky1 and there was a lattice-work of girders and a veritable song of line1 ,whistler1 seeing it one day from a neighboring window1 exclaimed3 8,hurry2 where are my things8 ,i must catch that now1 for it will never again be so beautiful40 99 99 99 99 99 ,high buildings1 mechanical processes1 modern costumes had no terrors for him1 simply because he had no sentiment concerning them2 if they furnished him beauties of line or color he cared not whether they were new or old4 ,whistler's art was as devoid of sentiment as that of a ,japanese4 ,to our ,western notions the everlasting convention that serves for a face in ,japanese art seems hopelessly monotonous4 ,to them our painstaking characterization of the features and peculiarities of each person is no art at all1 but grotesque caricature2 it is the subordination of art which is of universal interest to the eccentricities of the individual which are of local interest4 ,in ,whistler's art one must not look for any solution of the problems of life1 for any sign of the emotions which control human conduct1--for love and hate and fear1 for hope and ambition1 for the tortures of jealousy or the bitterness of despair1--these are all absent2 his art is pure and serene4 ,his works are to painting what the 8,ode to a ,grecian ,urn0 or 8,a ,midsummer ,night's ,dream0 is to poetry1 and hence in human interest they fall far short of the tragedies1 the epics1 the romances of literature and art1 and they must not be judged by standards he did not seek to emulate4 ,he could no more have painted a 8,crucifixion0 or a 8,last ,judgment0 than he could have carved the 8,moses0 or written 8,hamlet40 ,in every sense1 save that of abstract beauty of line and color1 other painters have excelled ,whistler1 but as the master of pure line and color harmonies he is supreme4 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler's etchings and photographs were simply compositions in line1 delightful harmonies in black and white4 ,it is too bad to preserve their names or identify them with any locality1 for their exquisite art is better appreciated if no distracting consideration is aroused4 ,but1 oddly enough1 he occasionally made concessions in the naming of these that he did not in the naming of his paintings4 ,take1 for instance1 that charming lithograph1 8,confidences in the ,garden10--two ladies walking in the corner of an old garden4 ,the garden is in the rear of his ,paris home on the ,rue du ,bac4 ,the ladies are probably ,mrs4 ,whistler and her sister4 ,but what does it add to the print to call it 8,confidences in the ,garden08 ,nothing at all4 ,on the contrary1 the title at once suggests a host of considerations which conflict with the abstract enjoyment of the composition4 ,that sort of a title is precisely what he condemns for his paintings4 ,it is1 however1 one of the very few instances where his titles suggest anything more than the obvious subject4 ,for the most part he was consistent in choosing names that do not distract4 ,even the portraits he did not care to have known as 8,portrait of ,mr4 ,a----10 or 8,portrait of ,lady ,c----10 thereby catering first to the vanity of a sitter1 then to the idle curiosity of the multitude4 ,his portraits were compositions in line and color1 and1 as such1 were artistic creations4 ,that they happened also to be portraits of certain individuals was a mere coincidence4 ,the portrait feature1 upon which people lay so much stress1 was of the least consequence to him2 and just because he did not permit the photographic element to move him1 he secured results which are far beyond the art of the 8portrait-painter40 99 99 99 99 99 ,the sense of color is so lost to painters1 as well as to laymen1 that to talk of color compositions as one speaks of sound compositions is to challenge doubt and occasion surprise4 ,and yet there is a music of color even as there is a music of sound1 and there should be a delight in color composition even as there is a delight in sound composition2 and this delight should be something fundamentally distinct from any interest in the subject of the composition4 ,the subject may be a man1 or a woman1 or a field1 or a tree1 or a wave1 or a cloud1 or just nothing at all--mere masses or streaks of color2 the perfection or the imperfection of the color arrangement remains the same4 ,that the color-sense is lost to laymen1 critics1 and painters is evidenced by the ridicule that for thirty years was heaped upon ,whistler for calling his pictures 8harmonies10 8symphonies10 8nocturnes10 etc42 for adopting the more or less abstract nomenclature of sound compositions--music--to describe color compositions4 ,one paper described them as 8some figure pieces1 which this artist exhibits as #8harmonies' in this1 that1 or the other1 being1 as they are1 mere rubs-in of color1 have no claims to be regarded as pictures40 ,another says1 8,a dark bluish surface1 with dots on it1 and the faintest adumbrations of shape under the darkness1 is gravely called a #8,nocturne in ,black and ,gold4'0 ,again1 8,two of ,mr4 ,whistler's #8color-symphonies1' a #8,nocturne in ,blue and ,gold1' and a #8,nocturne in ,black and ,gold4' ,if he did not exhibit these as pictures under peculiar and1 what seems to most people1 pretentious titles they would be entitled to their due meed of admiration4 ,but they only come one step nearer pictures than delicately graduated tints on a wall-paper do40 ,and so in endless iteration and reiteration4 ,it never occurred to either painters or critics to judge the pictures as if they were in reality so many 8delicately graduated tints on a wall-paper40 ,the color-sense was deficient4 ,the pictures were judged by their composition1 their subjects1--or1 rather1 not appreciated at all1 but condemned1 on account of their titles1 which expressed exactly what the painter desired to convey1--namely1 his attempts to produce harmonies in color independently of subject4 ,so far from ,whistler's titles being absurd1 they were so many frank attempts to tell the public what the painter was really trying to do4 ,he might have been more obscure1 like many a composer of music1 and simply said1 8,opus ,i410 or 8,opus ,,xx410 and so on4 ,he did call three of his early pictures 8,symphony in ,white1 ,no4 ,i410 8,symphony in ,white1 ,no4 ,,ii410 and 8,symphony in ,white1 ,no4 ,,iii420 but the first1 a full-length figure1 was also known as the 8,white ,girl0 of the 8,salon des ,refuss10 #ahfc2 the second1 a three-quarter length of a young girl in white1 standing by a mantel1 as 8,the ,little ,white ,girl20 while the third1 with no other title1 is of two girls in white4 ,but for the most part he chose to describe each particular work as an arrangement of blue and silver1 or black and gray1 or flesh-color and brown1 according to the predominating tones of the composition1 thereby aiding the eye of the observer4 ,there are beauties of form devoid of color2 ,there are beauties of color devoid of form2 ,there are beauties of form and color combined4 ,of the foregoing the first is familiar in sculpture1 and the third is familiar in painting1 but the second is scarcely observed at all1 though color without form is found wherever color is used decoratively4 ,the ordinary house-painter endeavors to secure agreeable effects by the mere arrangement of colors4 ,the interior-decorator endeavors--for the most part with disastrous results--to secure agreeable effects by the mere distribution of color4 ,in a crude way the house-painter1 the sign-painter1 the decorator1 the dyer1 the dress-maker1 are all color-composers1 their object being to produce harmonies in color quite irrespective of line and form4 ,they know nothing about drawing1 they know nothing about modelling1 but they try to please the eye by color arrangements4 ,to rightly understand the color-sense let us briefly consider the matter from its scientific side4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ear has a range of musical sounds of from sixteen and one-half air-vibrations per second--the note of the lowest pipe of the great organ--to four thousand seven hundred and fifty-two vibrations per second1 the highest note of the piccolo of the orchestra1--a range of about eight octaves4 ,below sixteen and one-half vibrations per second1 and above four thousand seven hundred and fifty-two1--as high1 in fact1 as forty thousand1--sounds are audible1 but not musical1 being either too low and throbbing or two high and piercing to be agreeable4 ,in all countries this range of musical sounds is divided into octaves1--the octave of any given note having simply double the number of air-vibrations4 ,at the present time1 in the ,western world1 each octave is divided1 as every one knows1 into twelve notes1 indicated on the piano by the seven white keys and the five black4 ,for instance1 the middle ,c of the piano has two hundred and sixty-four vibrations per second1 the ,c above has1 of course1 just double1 or five hundred and twenty-eight vibrations per second4 ,in the chromatic scale these two hundred and sixty-four vibrations1 which make the octave1 are divided into only twelve intervals1 an average of twenty-two vibrations to the interval4 ,in the octavo above the average would be twice that1 or forty-four1 and so on doubling to the end4 ,there is a change in pitch with the addition of so much as a fraction of a vibration per second4 ,as a matter of fact1 musicians can detect the variation of pitch caused by the difference of half a vibration per second in the middle octaves2 the power to detect changes in pitch due to fractional changes in vibrations decreasing towards the bass and treble4 ,with this power of discriminating a thousand degrees of pitch in a single octave the ,western world is content to arbitrarily and mechanically divide the octave into but twelve tones and semi-tones4 ,the ,arabic octave contains twenty-four quarter-tones1 and ,oriental nations generally take cognizance of intervals so small they seem to us discords4 ,helmholtz requested a distinguished musician to investigate this matter in ,cairo1 and this is the report3 8,this evening ,i have been listening attentively to the song on the minarets1 to try to appreciate the quarter-tones1 which ,i had not supposed to exist1 as ,i had thought that the ,arabs sang out of tune4 ,but to-day as ,i was with the dervishes ,i became certain that such quarter-tones existed1 and for the following reasons3 ,many passages in litanies of this kind end with a tone which was at first the quarter-tone and ended in the pure tone4 ,as the passage was frequently repeated1 ,i was able to observe this every time1 and ,i found the intonation invariable40#ce ,all of which goes to show how susceptible the highly-trained ear is to fine gradations and combinations of sound and how easy it is to become accustomed to coarse intervals when the finer are no longer used4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the various notes as sounded by a great variety of musical instruments constitute the raw material from which the composer and performer produce melodies and harmonies absolutely unknown to nature1 and which--judged by the only possible standard1 their emotional and intellectual effects--are incomparably finer than any sounds in nature1 finer because a human utterance1 the play of soul upon soul4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the eye has a range of color-notes from four hundred millions of millions of ether-vibrations per second1 the rate of the deepest red of the spectrum1 to seven hundred and fifty millions of millions1 the rate of the violet rays4 ,the following table of vibration rates of the colors of the spectrum shows the vibration intervals which divide the pronounced colors3#cf ,color-sensation4 ,ether-vibrations per second4 ,deep red #djj millions of millions4 ,red-orange #dcg 8 8 ,yellow-orange #deg 8 8 ,yellow #eji 8 8 ,green #egj 8 8 ,blue-green #fag 8 8 ,blue-violet #fif 8 8 ,violet #gej 8 8 ,this color-scale1 as produced by a great variety of agents1--such as colored lights1 glass1 stones1 metals1 fabrics1 dyes1 stains1 pigments1 etc41--constitutes the raw material from which the color-composer1 painter1 and decorator produce melodies and harmonies absolutely unknown to nature1 and1 judged as musical sounds are judged1 are incomparably finer than effects in nature1 because essentially human1 because produced by man for their emotional and intellectual effect upon man4 ,theoretically the variation of a single ether-vibration per second changes the shade of the color2 but while the trained ear can detect the variation in pitch due to a half-vibration of air per second more or less1 ether-vibrations are so incomparably more rapid that the best the trained eye can do is detect about one thousand different tints in the spectrum4 ,in other words1 there must be an increase or decrease of three hundred and fifty thousand millions of ether-vibrations before even the practised eye is consciously affected4 ,it is1 however1 altogether likely that while the eye is not consciously affected without these great variations in frequency1 it is unconsciously affected1 and susceptibility to and skill in handling color depend upon this unconscious susceptibility4 ,it is pretty well established that the range of color-vision cannot be materially extended below the red or above the violet by practice1 but susceptibility to color variations and the ability to distinguish gradations of tone within the scale can be increased almost indefinitely4 ,education of the color-sense is the development of this unconscious susceptibility1--of the feeling for1 as distinguished from a knowledge of1 color4 ,a man may know all about color and have no feeling for it4 ,on the other hand1 a man may be singularly susceptible to color-effects without being able to name correctly a dozen shades4 ,nothing educates the color-sense so much as steady contemplation of color-harmonies in nature and art4 ,but unless a man possesses an instinctive feeling for color he will never select the best examples2 whereas if his eye is exceedingly susceptible he will intuitively cling to the best the world affords4 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler was gifted with susceptibility to color in an extraordinary degree4 ,where1 by way of illustration1 the untrained eye can distinguish one or two hundred shades of color in the spectrum and the highly-trained eye a thousand1 ,whistler could probably distinguish two thousand1 and possibly feel as many more4 ,in fact1 so keen was his susceptibility to color that intervals--to use1 very legitimately1 the musical term--quite imperceptible to others affected him greatly4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the neck-tie of a sitter once caused him no end of trouble4 ,the suit the sitter was wearing was of a light-brown tone2 the ulster was of a darker ,scotch plaid1--all softened in tone by time and wear4 ,in so many shades of brown it certainly seemed to the casual eye that the shade of the brown silk tie the sitter had on found a place4 ,but1 no2 to ,whistler it was a discordant note1 though half hidden by the garments4 ,all available ties were exhausted1--even those of friends and neighboring artists were levied upon4 ,others could see nothing inharmonious in many of the ties that were tried2 but they made ,whistler positively uncomfortable1--just as uncomfortable as the leader of an orchestra is when an instrument plays a discord2 and it was not until the 8,bon ,march0 had been ransacked--for1 not ties1 but simply fabrics in shades of brown--that a piece was found that would answer4 ,then1 mark you1 the brown of the tie was by no means reproduced in the portrait1 but the brown as modified by all the browns and notes of the entire costume1 and as still further modified by all the browns and all the notes and shades and lights of the studio4 ,during this search for a note of brown--a search which seemed to the sitter1 and even to artist friends1 finical in the extreme--the great painter one afternoon justified himself by showing some little pastel sketches of a model with bits of transparent drapery floating about her4 ,the sketches were on coarse brown board1 and about ten or twelve inches high by five or six wide1 and there were just a few strokes of almost imperceptible color to indicate the flesh tones and the draperies1 all so slight as to scarce attract notice2 and yet each of the filmy bits of drapery had been dyed by the painter with as much care to secure the desired notes as he would take in painting a portrait4 ,no one who has not seen him at work can form any adequate notion of his extreme susceptibility to infinitesimal variations of color2 it exceeded that of any painter of whom the ,western world has sufficient record for comparison4 ,a ,frenchman has said3 8,whistler's works are dreams of color4 ,the gray of them is unique4 ,it is made of white1 blue1 green1 of all the tints4 ,it is the tender gray of ,england's coasts1 of the ,north ,sea1 and of the sky that in summer is above it2 the horizon gray where the pale blue of the sky and the pale green of the sea unite and form one4 8,it is a subtle shade1 in accord with the penumbras in which he delighted4 ,he was the musician of the rainbow4 ,no one understood as well as he the mysterious relations of painting and of music1 the seven notes and the seven colors1 and the way to play these with the sharps and flats of the prism4 ,even as a symphony is in ,d or a sonata is in ,a1 his pictures were orchestrated according to a tone1--the #8,lady with the ,iris1' for example1 a mauve flower placed in the hand of the figure1 as a note and signifying that the portrait was to be a colored polyphony of lilac and of violets4 8,more precision is lent to this curious sthetic by the titles that he gave to certain small canvases representing twilights of ,venice and of ,london1 which he entitled #8,nocturnes1' in a parallel with those of ,chopin1 but of a ,chopin serene and who dreams instead of a ,chopin ill and who weeps4 ,there1 as in portraits1 the gray of ,england's coasts appears1 but bluer4 ,it has in portraits the tints of twilight in ashes4 ,in all his works he reveals the land of his origin1 the land that has produced ,edgar ,allan ,poe40 ,many stories are told illustrating his susceptibility to color4 ,some of them are pointless2 but the fact they are told at all shows how this trait impressed both the artists and the public4 8,one morning he had an engagement at a banker's1 where he was to receive a large sum of money for a set of etchings1 a sum that he happened to need very much at that time4 ,he was busy chatting and showing some of his things to an appreciative visitor1 who happened to know the circumstances1 and considerately reminded him that he had far to go and that the ,american would probably be in a hurry and would not wait4 8#8,yes1' said ,whistler2 #8but just look at this now1' pulling forward another canvas4 ,and so it went on1 until his friend said3 #8,whistler1 you really must go6 ,that man will never wait for you4' 8#8,what a nuisance you are6' he exclaimed2 but he got ready1 and they started4 8,they were tearing down the street at a great rate1 when ,whistler suddenly stopped the cab and made the driver go back to a certain spot1--and they had to go backwards and forwards for quite a while before they found the exact place1--in order to get a view of a certain little green-grocer's shop1 with his fruit and vegetables outside1 striped awnings1 etc4 8,whistler put up his hands for a frame1 squinted and twisted4 #8,beautiful6' he exclaimed4 #8,lovely6 ,i'm going to do that2 but ,i think ,i'll have him move the oranges over to the right more1 and that green1 now--let me see----' 8#8,whistler6' cried his friend1 #8do come along6 ,that man will be home in ,new ,york before we get there6' 8#8,what a nuisance you are6' declared ,whistler1 and was sulky the rest of the way4 8,it was not a pose4 ,the painter was so enchanted by what he saw that banker and money were nothing to him at that moment40 ,and it is said a visitor once found him at work in his studio4 8,the furniture was of a pale gray2 the hangings were of the same color2 the window shades were of gray2 the model a woman with gray eyes1 wearing a gray costume2 and the costume of the painter was also of the same prevailing color4 8,whistler refused to talk with his visitor until he had removed his flaming red cravat2 and1 after a few minutes' conversation1 commented upon the fact that the tone values of his coat and trousers were out of harmony40 ,an exaggeration1 but it all might have occurred2 for has he not himself described1 in 8,gentle ,art10 how the loud dress of a critic destroyed his exhibition4 8,to have seen him1 ,o1 my wise ,atlas1 was my privilege and my misery1--for he stood under one of my own #8harmonies1' already with difficulty gasping its gentle breath1 himself an amazing #8arrangement' in strong mustard-and-cress1 with bird's-eye belcher of ,reckitt's blue1 and then and there destroyed absolutely1 unintentionally1 and once for all1 my year's work60 99 99 99 99 99 ,the analogy between the musical scale and the color scale has been many times noted4 ,helmholtz#cg draws the following analogy3 ,f ,end of the red4 ,g ,red4 ,g ,red4 ,a ,red4 ,a ,orange-red4 ,b ,orange4 c ,yellow4 c ,green4 d ,greenish-blue4 d ,cyanogen-blue4 e ,indigo-blue4 f ,violet4 f ,violet4 g ,ultra-violet4 g ,ultra-violet4 a ,ultra-violet4 a ,ultra-violet4 b ,end of the solar spectrum4 ,there is1 of course1 this fundamental difference between the two senses3 the action of air-waves upon the ear is mechanical1 simply a succession of beats1 while the action of ether-waves upon the retina is chemical in its character4 ,the true analogy lies in the simple fact that the ear is susceptible to certain sounds produced by air-waves of certain frequencies1 while the eye is susceptible to certain colors produced by ether-waves of certain frequencies1 and it is possible to mechanically combine in one case the sounds so as to produce harmonies that please the ear1 and in the other case the colors so as to produce harmonies that please the eye2 and so far as pure sound and pure color is concerned1 the harmonious compositions need have no relation1 imitative or otherwise1 to anything in nature4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the uneducated ear prefers melodies which are more or less suggestive of sounds heard in nature1--more or less realistic imitations of songs of birds1 rippling of waters1 falling of rain1 rustling of leaves1 crashing of thunder1 etc42 or if familiar sounds are not imitated1 the title of the composition must suggest some incident1 place1 or scene more or less familiar1 so the deficient ear may be helped out by the imagination4 ,the highly-trained ear1 on the other hand1 delights in abstract compositions of sound1 in harmonies which have no perceptible relation to any sound in nature1 and which do not suggest any person1 scene1 or incident in literature or history4 ,the purer the taste in music the more abstract the compositions that satisfy4 ,so far as the appreciation of color harmonies is concerned1 the taste of the ,western world is like unto that of the uneducated ear in music4 ,we are not content with pure color compositions as we are with pure sound1 but we demand either imitations of natural objects or representations of historical1 literary1 religious1 or emotional subjects4 ,we must have something besides pure line and color4 ,a musician may strike a succession of notes1 or a chord1 and we are pleased1 the ear is satisfied2 but if the painter simply sweeps his brush several times across the canvas1 we are not satisfied1 though the combination of colors be something more beautiful and harmonious than anything ever seen4 ,it is not a 8picture0 to us2 it lacks the 8subject0 to which we are accustomed4 ,and yet there are in existence certain canvases by ,whistler which are little more than color-schemes1 and which in color-effects are among the most beautiful things he ever painted2 and in all the galleries of ,europe there is nothing to compare with them in pure joyousness of color4 ,as children and men we enjoy the color-effects of fireworks against the blackness of night1 and we enjoy the darkness and the shadows about us1 the sudden light upon expectant faces1 the dark-moving figures in the intervals4 ,all this is delight in color1--color without sentiment1 color without story1 color without other thought or reflection than pure sensuous enjoyment2 and we even feel the tawdry cheapness of the attempt when by set arrangement the features of some local or national celebrity are presented4 ,but when an artist who sees such a night-scene and paints it in such manner that the color-scheme is preserved and its beauty enhanced in translation1 we demand something more4 ,we demand1 as did ,burne-,jones1 8detail and composition10--in short1 we demand the features of our local celebrity4 ,until we learn to love color1 as we love music1 for its own sake1 there will never be any decorations of homes and public buildings that will be worth while4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in days long gone by1 in ,italy during the ,renaissance and before1 in ,greece during the ,golden ,age1 color was enjoyed for the sake of color1 regardless of the dictates of nature4 ,if an ,italian felt like making a background of blue or gold1 he did so2 if a ,greek felt like painting and gilding his sculpture1 he did so1 until the ,parthenon and its contents must have been gorgeous with color1 laid on1 not after the precepts of nature1 but for the most part arbitrarily1 to please the eye4 ,all decoration begins with nature and ends in convention4 ,in this progress from birth in the imitation of natural forms and colors to death in the rigidity of a hard and lifeless convention there is a maturity wherein lines and contours and colors play with perfect freedom1 original forms and models being absorbed in the finer creations of the imagination4 99 99 99 99 99 ,ruskin habitually confused the use of color with the painting of light2 while in truth there is no necessary connection at all between colorists and lightists1--to coin a word that will very legitimately mark a distinction4 ,the painting of light is the distinguishing feature of nineteenth-century art1 and ,turner was the apostle crying in the wilderness of darkness2 he was the first to successfully attempt the realization of sunlight4 ,he keyed his palette up with the sun as the objective point1 while the ,italians who had influenced him had keyed theirs up simply to produce color-effects4 ,they decorated walls and altars and painted pictures--as a potter decorates his earthen bowl--to please the eye4 ,although ,ruskin habitually speaks of ,turner as a colorist1 and undoubtedly says a great many fine things concerning color1 he did not care at all for color apart from the delineation of form4 ,to him color was useful only as a mode of drawing2 in itself it was as nothing at all4 ,speaking of his so-called 8truths0 of color1 he says3 8,all truths of color sink at once into the second rank4 ,he1 therefore1 who has neglected a truth of form for a truth of color has neglected a great truth for a less one4 8,that color is indeed a most unimportant characteristic of objects will be farther evident on the slightest consideration4 ,the color of plants is constantly changing with the season1 and of everything with the quality of light falling on it2 but the nature and essence of the thing are independent of these changes4 ,an oak is an oak1 whether green with spring or red with winter2 a dahlia is a dahlia1 whether it be yellow or crimson2 and if some monster-hunting botanist should ever frighten the flower blue1 still it will be a dahlia2 but let one curve of the petals1 one groove of the stamens1 be wanting1 and the flower ceases to be the same40#ch 8,the most convincing proof of the unimportance of color lies in the accurate observation of the way in which any material object impresses itself on the mind4 ,if we look at nature carefully we shall find that her colors are in a state of perpetual confusion and indistinctness1 while her forms1 as told by light and shade1 are invariably clear1 distinct1 and speaking4 ,the stones and gravel of the bank catch green reflections from the boughs above2 the bushes receive grays and yellows from the ground2 every hairbreadth of polished surface gives a little bit of the blue sky or the gold of the sun1 like a star upon the local color2 this local color1 changeful and uncertain in itself1 is again disguised and modified by the hue of the light or quenched in the gray of the shadow2 and the confusion and blending of tint is altogether so great that were we left to find out what objects were by their colors only1 we would scarcely in places distinguish the boughs of a tree from the air beyond them or the ground beneath them40 8,we shall see hereafter1 in considering ideas of beauty1 that color1 even as a source of pleasure1 is feeble compared to form4 ,but this we cannot insist upon at present1--we have only to do with simple truth2 and the observations we have made are sufficient to prove that the artist who sacrifices or forgets a truth of form in the pursuit of a truth of color sacrifices what is definite to what is uncertain and what is essential to what is accidental40#ci 8,it is1 indeed1 by this that the works of ,turner are peculiarly distinguished from those of all other colorists1--by the dazzling intensity1 namely1 of the light which he sheds through every hue1 and which1 far more than their brilliant color1 is the real source of their overpowering effect upon the eye1 an effect so reasonably made the subject of perpetual animadversion1 as if the sun which they represent were a quiet1 and subdued1 and gentle1 and manageable luminary1 and never dazzled anybody1 under any circumstances whatsoever4 ,i am fond of standing by a bright ,turner in the ,academy1 to listen to the unintentional compliments of the crowd1--#8,what a glaring thing6' #8,i declare ,i can't look at it6' #8,don't it hurt your eyes8'--expressed as if they were in the constant habit of looking the sun full in the face with the most perfect comfort and entire facility of vision4 ,it is curious after hearing people malign some of ,turner's noble passages of light to pass to some really ungrammatical and false pictures of the old masters in which we have color given without light40#dj 8,what ,i am next about to say with respect to ,turner's color ,i should wish to be received with caution1 as it admits of dispute4 ,i think that the first approach to viciousness of color in any master is commonly indicated chiefly by a prevalence of purple and an absence of yellow4 ,i think nature mixes yellow with almost every one of her hues1 never1 or very rarely1 using red without it1 but frequently using yellow with scarcely any red2 and ,i believe it will be in consequence found that her favorite opposition1 that which generally characterizes and gives tone to her color1 is yellow and black1 passing1 as it retires1 into white and blue4 ,it is beyond dispute that the great fundamental opposition of ,rubens is yellow and black1 and that on this1 concentrated in one part of the picture and modified in various grays throughout1 chiefly depend the tones of all his finest works4 ,and in ,titian1 though there is a far greater tendency to the purple than in ,rubens1 ,i believe no red is ever mixed with the pure blue1 or glazed over it1 which has not in it a modifying quantity of yellow4 ,at all events1 ,i am nearly certain that whatever rich and pure purples are introduced locally by the great colorists nothing is so destructive of all fine color as the slightest tendency to purple in general tone2 and ,i am equally certain that ,turner is distinguished from all the vicious colorists of the present day by the foundation of all his tones being black1 yellow1 and the intermediate grays1 while the tendency of our common glare-seekers is invariably to pure1 cold1 impossible purples40 8,powerful and captivating and faithful as his color is1 it is the least important of all his excellences1 because it is the least important feature of nature4 ,he paints in color1 but he thinks in light and shade2 and1 were it necessary1 rather than lose one line of his forms or one ray of his sunshine1 would1 ,i apprehend1 be content to paint in black and white to the end of his life40#da ,for practical purposes truths of form are more essential than #8truths' of color2 to mistake the size1 shape1 solidity1 and texture of anything is far more disastrous than to mistake its color4 ,the color-blind get on very well in the world1 often without knowing their defect2 but a person who was form-blind would not get on at all4 ,the correct appreciation of form is of such vital importance that two senses are brought to bear1--the sense of touch--the parent sense--as well as the sense of sight2 and without the co-operation of the sense of touch1 sight would be comparatively helpless in recognizing solidity1 texture1 contours1 etc4 ,in the appreciation of form touch gets on very well without sight1 while sight could not get on at all without touch2 but1 happily1 a sense so precious is never completely lost4 ,ruskin constantly uses the phrases1 8truths of form10 8truths of color10 and it is apparent that by these phrases he really means fidelity to natural effects4 ,with him a drawing1 be it of a stone1 a leaf1 a tree1 a mountain1 is not true unless it corresponds to the thing in nature2 nor is a light or a shadow or a color true unless it corresponds to the effect in nature4 ,now1 so far as art is concerned1 those so-called 8truths0 are of the least importance4 ,suppose a musician were to talk of 8truths of sound10 meaning thereby the more or less faithful imitation of the songs of birds1 the rippling of waters1 the roll of thunder4 ,every one would know that his art was of the most primitive character4 8,truths of sound10 in the sense that ,ruskin speaks of 8truths of form0 and 8truths of color10 are not tolerated in music4 ,to attain certain effects1 dramatic in character1 imitations of sounds in nature are sometimes introduced1 but sparingly1 and unless with great skill the effect is disagreeable to even the uneducated ear1 and if pressed too far it becomes grotesque4 ,one art is like unto another1 and what are really 8truths0 in one are 8truths0 in another4 ,it is immaterial whether the sense of hearing1 sight1 or touch is appealed to2 it does not matter whether it is a composition of sound1 of color1 of line1 or of form that is under consideration1 the fundamental principles of the art are the same2 and one of the fundamental propositions is3 imitation is fatal to pure art4 ,it is the business of art to improve on nature1 to take the raw materials nature furnishes--her forces1 her forms1 her lines1 her colors1 her lights and shadows1 her sounds1 her odors1 her flavors--and produce from them harmonious and agreeable effects unknown to nature4 ,whistler has said3 8,the imitator is a poor kind of creature4 ,if the man who paints only the tree or flower or other surface he sees before him were an artist1 the king of artists would be the photographer4 ,it is for the artist to do something beyond this3 in portrait-painting to put on canvas something more than the face the model wears for that one day1--to paint the man1 in short1 as well as his features2 in arrangement of colors to treat a flower as his key1 not as his model40#db ,art begins with 8truths10 in the ,ruskin sense1 and flowers in 8harmonies10 in the ,whistler sense4 ,it begins with the concrete1 with imitation1 with fidelity to natural effects1 and it develops by a process of abstraction until it attains the chaste perfection of a ,greek temple or a ,beethoven symphony4 ,nature is never left entirely behind1 and some arts are more dependent upon her than others2 but1 generally speaking1 the more abstract the art the higher it is2 the purer and freer it is from imitation or suggestion of natural effects1 the nobler its attainment4 ,because poetry and music are almost entirely independent of nature and natural effects1 do they as arts1 from one point of view1 outrank sculpture and painting4 99 99 99 99 99 ,ruskin1 of course1 was by no means blind to these considerations1 and when he talked of 8truths of form0 and 8truths of color0 he did not mean literal imitation1 but he did mean the fidelity of a draughtsman1 of a man whose eye and mind were on the thing or effect before him2 and his great work is one long attempt to show that ,turner in his brilliant and fanciful compositions was still clinging close to nature1 that he painted rocks and trees and clouds and sunlight as they really were1 and more beautifully than any man before or since4 ,all of which goes to show that ,turner was not a colorist in the sense ,whistler was4 ,the one used color as a means1 the other as an end4 ,to the one color1 like line1 or like black and white1 was incidental to his composition--the composition1 the conception1 the dream1 the fancy1--in short1 the subject1 being all important4 ,to the other harmonies in color was the end in view1 almost to the exclusion in some of the nocturnes of line and of form4 ,to ,ruskin1 even more than with ,turner1 color was simply a means to an end1--the more perfect imitation of nature2 hence his utter lack of sympathy for ,whistler's work4 ,to pure color arrangements ,ruskin was blind4 ,he demanded a relation and significance beyond the mere color harmony4 ,lines or waves of color placed side by side arbitrarily1 and with no more relation to nature than so many notes of music1 had no meaning for him1 whereas for ,whistler they meant practically all there is to the science and art of color4 ,to ,ruskin the blue hair of a ,greek statue would have seemed absurd and childish2 to the ,greek it would have been simply a color-note in the place where it was needed to perfect the color-scheme4 ,so utterly wanting is the sense of color-music in the modern world that we like our sculpture in either ghastly marble1 or1 still more perversely1 with the yellow hues and dirt and dinginess wrought by time and the elements1 whereas those who created the greatest sculpture known subdued all garish qualities by the use of gold and bronze and color1 not imitatively1 but arbitrarily1 to please a highly cultivated fancy4 99 99 99 99 99 ,from descriptions of ,ruskin's home1 8,brantwood10 it is clear that he had no craving for harmonious effects about him4 ,discords did not disturb him2 he could return with no sensations of discomfort from the keen appreciation of natural beauties to rooms which would be intolerable to any one like ,whistler with an instinct for proportion and color4 ,the house had 8a stucco classic portico in the corner1 painted and grained and heaped around with lucky horseshoes1 highly black-leaded40 ,the incongruity of the painting and graining--so contrary to all ,ruskin's teachings--and black-leaded horseshoes surprised even his friendly biographer4 ,his own room 8he papered with naturalistic fancies to his own taste10 and on the walls were 8a ,drer engraving1 some ,prouts and ,turners1 a couple of old ,venetian heads1 and ,meissonier's #8,napoleon1'0--a typical collector's conglomeration4 ,the walls of the dining-room were painted 8duck-egg10 whatever that color may be1 and covered with an even more heterogeneous collection of pictures1--8the #8,doge of ,gritta1' a bit saved from the great ,titian that was burnt in the fire at the ,ducal ,palace in #aegd2 a couple of ,tintorets2 ,turner and ,reynolds1 each painted by himself in youth2 ,raphael1 by a pupil1 so it is said2 portraits of old ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,ruskin and little ,john and his #8boo hills4'0 ,his study was 8papered with a pattern specially copied from ,marco ,marziali's #8,circumcision' in the ,national ,gallery1 and hung with ,turners40 ,there was a crimson arm-chair and a 8polished-steel fender1 very unartistic10 his biographer remarks2 8red mahogany furniture1 with startling shiny emerald leather chair-cushions2 red carpet and green curtains40 ,this is the sort of room wherein ,ruskin worked and wrote4 ,it simply illustrates the truth that it is one thing to write and talk about color and a far different thing to really feel color4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is the custom to call every man who paints in high key or uses brilliant colors a colorist1 as ,ruskin called ,turner and ,rubens colorists2 but it is not the mere use of color that makes a man a colorist1 but the use he makes of it1 the object he has in mind in using it4 ,the mechanical draughtsman and the architect may use on their plans and designs all the known colors1 but no one would think of calling either a colorist4 ,in painting still-life a man may exhaust the palette and yet be no colorist4 ,in painting portraits one man may require his sitters to dress in bright colors1 another in sober blacks1 grays1 or browns1 with the result that one set of portraits fairly dazzle the beholder1 while the other scarce attracts attention2 and yet the former may not be the work of a colorist while the latter may4 ,the determining factor is the attitude of the painter towards color4 ,if he uses color imitatively1 or as incidental to drawing1 or as a means to some end other than the production of color harmonies1 he is not a colorist2 but if his delight is in color1 if he uses color for the sake of color1 for the sake of charming the eye1 as the ear is charmed by music1 then he is a colorist4 ,no hard and fast line of demarcation can be drawn1 since every painter is something of a colorist2 but between the two extremes of the painter on one hand who uses color imitatively or as incidental to drawing and the colorist who produces and delights in pure color schemes and harmonies there is a wide interval4 ,whistler1 in his love of color1 approached the latter extreme2 but it was only when he practised decoration that he could indulge his fancy without limitations4 ,when he brought the ,leyland dining-room into harmony with his 8,princess of the ,land of ,porcelain0 by the use of blue and gold1 line and form--though somewhat apparent--were virtually negligible quantities2 and when he arranged the reception-room of the house in ,rue du ,bac1 and his own studio1 the only considerations were the color-effects4 ,in his 8,white ,girl0 of #ahfc ,whistler began in a large way his symphonies in color2 and while in pictures like the 8,thames in ,ice10 8,the ,music ,room10 and 8,at the ,piano0 he painted along more conventional lines1 these departures were infrequent and in themselves exhibited his predilection for color4 ,it was simply impossible for him to paint any picture without making the color harmony a prime object4 ,not long after the 8,white ,girl10 which was 8,symphony in ,white1 ,no4 ,i410 followed the other experiments in white1 known as ,symphonies ,nos4 ,,ii4 and ,,iii4 ,then came--the chronological order is not important--the ,japanese group1 8,the ,princess of the ,land of ,porcelain10 8,the ,gold ,screen10 8,the ,balcony10 the 8,lange ,leizen10 and others1 in which the figures and accessories1 though still prominent1 were made subordinate to the brilliant color schemes4 ,the compositions were still obvious1 but the color incomparably more so4 ,then the 8,nocturnes10 in which detail and composition were refined away1 and little remained but color-effects so exquisite that they seemed1 and still seem1 beyond the power of brush1 and more like some thin glazes and enamels than paintings on canvas4 ,as music in color the 8,nocturnes0 and certain of the 8,harmonies0 and 8,symphonies10 wherein detail is as nothing and the color everything1 are ,whistler's most exquisite--the word is used advisedly--achievements4 ,others will equal his portraits before they equal his 8,nocturnes40 ,as a still further step towards pure color composition he had in mind for years a series of pictures1 pure creations of fancy1 somewhat suggestive of the ,japanese group1 but less realistic--just color-music4 ,happily1 the sketches are in existence1 and afford some indication of the color-dreams that floated through the great painter's imagination4 ,they show how musical color is when freed from entangling associations and used broadly and decoratively4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we have1 then1 the following phases1 rather than 8periods10 in his mastery of color3 #a4 ,that wherein composition and detail predominate1 though color is the motive4 #b4 ,that wherein composition and detail are still conspicuous1 but are subordinate to the color scheme4 #c4 ,that wherein composition and detail are practically lost in the effort to produce subtle color harmonies4 #d4 ,that wherein the sole object is color-music1 quite regardless of other considerations4 ,this progress from the1 so to speak1 tentative use of color in connection with more or less conventional composition to the triumph of color and suppression of composition is abundantly illustrated in his works4 ,it would not be difficult to arrange an exhibition of four groups of about three canvases each1 which would illustrate each phase4 ,such an exhibition would do more to enlighten the public regarding his work than any number of exhibitions of a large number of pictures gathered and grouped in the usual way4 99 99 99 99 99 ,regarding the use of flat tones he is reported to have once said3 8,house-painters have the right idea about painting1 ,god bless them40 ,how far removed from ,ruskin1 who said3 8,hence1 wherever in a painting we have unvaried color extended even over a small space1 there is falsehood4 ,nothing can be natural which is monotonous2 nothing true which only tells one story40 ,to ,ruskin nature was all in all2 to ,whistler color was of first consideration4 ,the one looked at color to find natural effects2 the other looked at nature to find color-effects4 ,whistler chose intuitively those scenes and those hours of the day when he would be least hampered by rigid requirements of line and form4 ,he frequently painted the sea under strong light2 but under any light water presents itself in broken lines and large masses4 ,he was a master of line in the high sense that with a few lines he could render not only the character but the characteristics of whatever was before him4 ,he was a master of form1--even as ,ruskin uses the term1--since he could1 when the conditions required it1 express the most subtle contours in terms of light and shade and color2 but he cared less for the bald realities of sunlight than for the shadows of dusk and the mysteries of night4 ,he has himself said3 8,the sun blares1 the wind blows from the east1 the sky is bereft of cloud1 and without all is of iron4 ,the windows of the ,crystal ,palace are seen from all points of ,london4 ,the holiday-maker rejoices in the glorious day1 and the painter turns aside to shut his eyes4 8,how little this is understood1 and how dutifully the casual in nature is accepted as sublime1 may be gathered from the unlimited admiration daily produced by a very foolish sunset4 8,the dignity of the snow-capped mountain is lost in distinctness1 but the joy of the tourist is to recognize the traveller on the top4 ,the desire to see for the sake of seeing is1 with the mass1 alone the one to be gratified1 hence the delight in detail4 8,and when the evening mist clothes the riverside with poetry1 as with a veil1 and the poor buildings lose themselves in the dim sky1 and the tall chimneys become campanili1 and the warehouses are palaces in the night1 and the whole city hangs in the heavens1 and fairy-land is before us1--then the wayfarer hastens home2 the working-man and the cultured one1 the wise man and the one of pleasure cease to understand1 as they have ceased to see2 and ,nature1 who1 for once1 has sung in tune1 sings her exquisite song to the artist alone1 her son and her master1--her son in that he loves her1 her master in that he knows her40#dc ,and it was his habit to paint when the studio was filled with gloom and lengthening shadows crept across the floor2 when it was so dark the dull eye of sitter or chance visitor could scarce distinguish the figure on the canvas4 ,this 8painting in the dark10 as some have called it1 was a singular trait4 ,he would paint with increasing force and effect as the room became darker and darker1 until it seemed as if the falling of night was an inspiration4 ,once a sitter asked him how it was possible to paint when it was so dark4 8,as the light fades and the shadows deepen all petty and exacting details vanish1 everything trivial disappears1 and ,i see things as they are in great strong masses3 the buttons are lost1 but the garment remains2 the garment is lost1 but the sitter remains2 the sitter is lost1 but the shadow remains2 the shadow is lost1 but the picture remains4 ,and that night cannot efface from the painter's imagination40 99 99 99 99 99 ,people never could understand his attitude towards nature4 ,when he spoke of the 8unlimited admiration daily produced by a very foolish sunset10 and how 8the dignity of the snow-capped mountain is lost in distinctness1 but the joy of the tourist is to recognize the traveller on the top10 he at once puzzled and irritated the lay mind1 for is not the sunset beautiful8 and the traveller on the highest peak of greater interest than the mountain8 ,when a lady one day rushed up to him and enthusiastically exclaimed3 8,oh1 ,mr4 ,whistler1 ,i have just been up the river1 and it reminded me so much of your pictures40 ,and he replied3 8,indeed6 ,then1 ,nature is looking up10--people resented it as vanity4 ,but it was not vanity4 ,it was simply his attitude towards nature and art4 ,if some one had said to ,mendelssohn1 8,i have just been in the woods and heard sounds that were just like some of your 8,songs without ,words10 ,mendelssohn would have been surprised1 and might well have replied1 8,then1 the birds are doing better40 ,concerning nature1 ,whistler said3 8,that nature is always right is an assertion artistically as untrue as it is one whose truth is universally taken for granted4 ,nature is very rarely right2 to such an extent1 even1 that it might almost be said that nature is usually wrong4 ,that is to say1 the condition of things that shall bring about the perfection of harmony worthy a picture is rare1 and not common at all4 8,this would seem1 to even the most intelligent1 a doctrine almost blasphemous4 ,so incorporated with our education has the supposed aphorism become1 that its belief is held to be part of our moral being2 and the words themselves have1 in our ear1 the ring of religion4 ,still1 seldom does nature succeed in producing a picture40#dd ,one should never confound art with nature2 they are antithetical terms4 ,there is no art in nature2 there should be no nature in art4 ,and what is art is not nature1 and what is nature is not art4 ,nature is the raw material1 art is the finished product2 and art should no more resemble nature than a cave resembles a house4 ,and to the extent that art slavishly imitates nature is it of the cave-dwelling variety4 ,there is no color that is not found in nature4 ,there is no combination of colors a hint of which cannot be found in nature4 ,but it is the business of art to take the colors1 accept the hints1 and produce combinations and effects not found in nature4 ,it is not the business of the artist to paint anything as it is1 but everything as he sees it4 ,yet the public demand that a tree shall be reproduced as they see it1--that the picture shall be a substitute for the reality4 ,why not go to the window and look at the tree8 ,for1 as a tree1 with its quivering leaves and the infinite play of light and shadow1 it is more beautiful than any realistic photograph1 drawing1 or painting possibly could be4 ,but to see the reflection of the tree in the depths of a human soul one must turn to art1 to poetry1 to music1 or to painting4 ,the reflection may not at all resemble the reality any more than ,keats's 8,ode to a ,nightingale0 resembles the bird or the song of the bird2 but it will be far more interesting and far more beautiful because a human expression4 ,the child's mud-house and the boy's snow-man are of greater concern to humankind than all the plains and mountains of the earth4 ,,viii ,the ,royal ,society of ,british ,artists--,in ,paris once more--,at ,home and at ,work4 ,in ,june1 #ahhf1 ,whistler was elected president of the ,royal ,society of ,british ,artists4 ,prior to that time he had exhibited in the rooms of the society in ,suffolk ,street1 and he was no doubt elected to give life to a moribund association4 ,he succeeded beyond the wildest anticipations of the most sanguine members4 ,he rearranged the exhibitions by excluding sufficient of the unworthy to leave ample space on the walls for the proper exhibition of such pictures as were accepted4 ,when the ,prince of ,wales1 now ,king ,edward1 visited the galleries for the first time1 ,whistler1 as president1 received him4 ,and when the prince said he had never before heard of the society and asked its history1 ,whistler1 with the grace of a courtier1 replied3 8,it has none1 your ,highness4 ,its history dates from to-day40 ,two years of so revolutionary a president were all the ancient association could stand4 ,as has been well said3#de 8,that ,suffolk-,street episode was1 perhaps1 the oddest of an odd career4 ,the most mediocre and middle-class of all the artistic societies of ,london was in low water1 and the thought occurred to some revolutionary members to make ,whistler president4 ,it was like electing a sparrow-hawk to rule a community of bats4 ,some of the bats moved out1 some followers of the sparrow-hawk came in2 but the interesting new community did not last long4 ,the suburban ladies1 who had been the support of the ,society of ,british ,artists1 were shocked at the changes4 ,they found no pleasure in the awning stretched across the middle of the room1 the battened walls1 the spaced-out #8impressionist' pictures1 and the total absence of the anecdotes and bright colors which they loved4 ,a few hundred visitors of another sort came1 and were charmed1 but the commercial test of success was not satisfied4 ,before long ,whistler ceased to be president1 and the society1 under a more congruous chief1 #8relapsed to its ancient mood4'0 ,when he failed of re-election many of his friends resigned4 8,it is all very simple10 he said4 8,the #8,royal ,society of ,british ,artists' has disintegrated1--the #8,artists' have come out1 the #8,british' remain40 ,when interviewed to obtain his explanation of the 8state of affairs30 8,the state of affairs80 said ,mr4 ,whistler1 in his light and airy way1 raising his eyebrows and twinkling his eyes1 as if it were all the best possible fun in the world2 8why1 my dear sir1 there's positively no state of affairs at all4 ,contrary to public declaration1 there's actually nothing chaotic in the whole business4 ,on the contrary1 everything is in order1 and just as it should be1--the survival of the fittest as regards the presidency1 don't you see2 and1 well--,suffolk ,street is itself again6 ,a new government has come in2 and1 as ,i told the members the other night1 ,i congratulate the society on the result of their vote3 for no longer can it be said that the right man is in the wrong place4 ,no doubt their pristine sense of undisturbed somnolence will again settle upon them after the exasperated mental condition arising from the unnatural strain recently put upon the old ship4 ,eh8 what8 ha6 ha60 ,he painted a signboard for the entrance to the galleries1--a lion and a butterfly1--a 8harmony in gold and red10 with which1 he says1 8,i took as much trouble as ,i did with the best picture ,i ever painted40 ,but his successor in office clothed the golden lion 8with a coat of dirty black10 and effaced the butterfly entirely2 whereupon he called the society to task for destroying the work of a fellow-artist1 and the entire episode appears in the 8,gentle ,art0 as only he could tell it4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in #ahhg he married the widow of ,e4 ,w4 ,godwin1 the architect of the 8,white ,house10 and not long after they went to live in ,paris1 at #aaj ,rue du ,bac4 ,the narrow passage-way that leads from the street to where they lived is1 like thousands of others in ,old ,paris1 just an archway between two shops1 unpromising and uninviting4 ,passing through1 one finds a small paved court immediately in the rear1 and on three sides of this court the entrances and windows of the apartments and houses opening therefrom4 ,the court itself is not without interest4 ,on one side there is an old bronze fountain1 long since dry2 about the walls a sculptured frieze1 much the worse for wear2 everything of by-gone days1--the very architecture1 in all its details1 of another generation4 ,whistler's entrance was on the ground floor1 just across the little court4 ,on a memorable day the bell was answered by a solemn-faced ,english servant1--possibly more than ordinarily solemn-faced1 because that particular morning he was in great disfavor1 and was subsequently discharged for a cumulation of shortcomings which would have exhausted the patience of an ordinary man thrice over4 ,but ,whistler--all impressions to the contrary1 notwithstanding--was a man of infinite patience with sitter and servant1--the work of the latter being considerably lighter than that of the former4 ,under only the greatest provocation would he discharge either4 ,passing through the door1 one went down several steps into the small hall1 and through that into the reception-room4 ,this room was a revelation of the personality of the artist1--simple1 dignified1 harmonious2 it was restful and charming to the last degree4 ,the details were so unobtrusive that it is difficult to recall particular features4 ,the floor was covered with a coarse1 dark-blue matting2 the panelled walls were in pure white and blue1 while the ceiling was in a light shade of blue4 ,the room stood firmly on its feet1 unlike so many in even the best of houses1 which have floors so light and walls so dark that everything is topsy-turvy4 ,color seeks and finds its level2 light floors1 with darker walls and ceilings1 reverse the natural order of things1 and compel people to live on their heads4 ,the few pieces of furniture were of an old pattern1 graceful almost to fragility1 and covered with some light stuff which harmonized with the tone of the walls4 ,there were but two pictures in the room1 one at each end1 both sketches by ,whistler1 8harmonies0 or 8arrangements0 in color rather than compositions4 ,the 8key0 being blue1 the pictures blended with the walls1 as all pictures should1 as if part of the original scheme of decoration4 ,when a visitor1 who was fascinated by the color of these two studies1 asked the painter if he would part with them1 he said3 8,god bless me1 no6 ,i am going to do something big some day from those4 ,pretty1 eh80 ,his studio was filled with just such 8notes0 and 8jottings0 of schemes in color and composition1 and from each it was his intention to work out something more important and complete2 but such was the fertility of his imagination that no man could hope to carry even a fraction to finished conclusions4 ,near the fireplace1 at one end of the room1 was a little old-fashioned table covered with writing-materials1--paper of the smallest size1 a dainty ink-stand1 and several quill pens4 ,this was the table of controversy1 the battlefield of disputation1 the veritable mount of irony1 while the ink-well was the fountain of exquisite sarcasm1 and the quill pens the scalpels which laid bare the vital recesses of unlucky opponents4 ,it was the habit of the painter1 in his idle moments1 to sit at this little table1 with a small cup of coffee and a cigarette1 and write those barbed and pointed notes which1 like so many banderillas1 irritated to frenzy the bulls they were aimed at4 ,the far side of the room opened into one of those quaint old gardens so often found tucked away in the midst of crumbling buildings on the ancient thoroughfares4 ,its narrow confines were enlarged to the eye by winding1 gravelled walks and vistas of flowers and bushes2 the rickety seats1 half hidden by the foliage1 invited the loiterer to repose1 and the high wall beyond suggested the gloomy confines of some convent or deserted monastery4 8,a picturesque spot4 ,once at dusk there came the tinkle of a far-off bell1 as if for vesper prayers2 the years rolled back1 and visions of other days flitted along the garden paths2 stately dames in rich brocades1 with powder1 patch1 and high coiffure1 and gallant courtiers with graved and jewelled blades1 whose whispered vows were no more stable than the sound of rustling leaves40 ,here of a ,sunday afternoon ,mrs4 ,whistler frequently served tea1 and in this garden he made some of his best lithographs4 ,at home ,whistler was the most delightful of--guests4 ,the cares of hospitality sat lightly upon him4 ,to the caller who had come at the appointed hour1 and had waited for thirty or forty minutes1 he would apologize so delightfully for the 8unpardonable delay10 that a prince could take no offence1 much less an ordinary visitor1 who could profitably spend the time in studying the harmonious surroundings4 ,it is difficult to describe the charm of his manner1 so different from the notion of it that prevails generally4 ,he was far more easy of approach than most celebrities2 and once within the charmed circle1 he was the most agreeable and companionable of living men4 ,he would make the diffident feel instantly at ease1 and he would exert himself to interest even the stupid visitor1 but he would not encourage him to come again4 ,his own talk was so bright that it was unnecessary for any guest to say much1--a capacity for listening appreciatively being the best qualification4 ,still1 he did not monopolize the conversation4 ,he himself was one of the keenest listeners that ever sat at a dinner-table2 nothing escaped him4 ,and if by chance some one said a good thing1 he was the first to applaud it4 ,in company it was impossible to draw him into serious discussion4 ,if the attempt were made1 it usually led to a monologue on his part on some branch of the topic under discussion1--a monologue so extravagant1 so funny1 so irresistible in its humor and denunciation that the entire company would turn and listen with delight4 ,no one who has ever heard his comparison of the ,englishman who carries his tub and sponge on the top of the coach to parade his cleanliness with the ,french who had vast public baths before ,england was discovered can ever forget the inimitable wit and humor and--underlying truth of it all4 ,again1 his description of the ,germans1--a people that call a glove a hand-shoe4 ,well1 it is idle to even call to mind these things2 they will never be heard again1 and no report could do them justice4 ,a lady1 after visiting him1 said1 8,he is like no other human being2 a creature of moods and epigrams1 but perfectly delightful4 ,i feel as if ,i'd been conversing with a flash of lightning in a brown velvet coat40 ,no man could draw him out of malice aforethought4 ,it was fatal to say3 8,mr4 ,whistler1 do tell that story of the----0 etc4 ,of that sort he was no story-teller at all1 and if persistently urged1 would close up like a clam2 but1 if left to himself1 he would take part in any conversation that might be started1 and would soon take the lead1 not obviously or offensively1 but naturally1 and say things that would make the professed wit dumb with envy4 ,he would say things he had said1 or even printed1 before1 if the subject warranted it4 ,he might even go a bit out of his way to drag in a good thing which he thought would fit2 but for the most part his talk was the spontaneous utterance of the occasion4 ,he was known to every 8chef0 and 8matre d'htel0 in ,london and ,paris1--for1 while he ate and drank most sparingly1 he was exceedingly fastidious4 ,he did not care greatly for the large caravansaries like the 8,ritz10 where people go to perform in public astounding gastronomic feats2 but he knew every place in ,paris where a really good dish was to be had at a moderate price1 and every such place gave him the best it had4 99 99 99 99 99 ,nearly every sketch1 drawing1 or portrait of ,whistler gives some phase of his many-sided personality1 but not one--not even those by himself--gives anything like an adequate conception4 ,he was a man most difficult to place on canvas4 ,he could not be grasped and held long enough4 ,he himself tried it1 but with only moderate success4 ,others have tried it and failed completely1--that is1 failed to portray him at his best2 for that matter1 no one who has ever drawn or painted him did so when he was at his best1 for those moments came only in the seclusion of his own studio1 when1 alone with model or sitter1 he worked absolutely oblivious to everything but his art4 ,no man is at his best when posing for photograph1 sketch1 or portrait1 and ,whistler was farther from being an exception to this rule than most others4 ,he knew too well what a portrait should be to feel the indifference which is essential to a perfectly natural pose4 ,consequently1 while few men were better known by sight in ,paris and ,london1 scarce any one knew him as he was1--the most profoundly serious1 conscientious1 and consistent artist of his day and generation4 ,as has been stated1 he was always exceedingly particular about his dress1--as finicky as a woman4 ,in his early ,london days he carried a long1 slender wand1 like a mahl-stick1 for a cane1 and was conspicuous wherever he went1 not only on account of his diminutive size1 but also by his stick and dress4 ,an attendant at an exhibition once wished to relieve him of his cane1 but he exclaimed3 8,oh1 no1 my man6 ,i keep this for the critics40 99 99 99 99 99 ,the following1 by a ,london correspondent1 is a very good description1 though of late years he had abandoned the cane and his hair was somewhat grayer3 8,they say ,whistler is fifty-six4 ,but years have nothing to do with him4 ,he is as young in spirit1 as lithe in body1 as dapper in #8get-up' as he was twenty years ago4 8,is there another man in ,london with such vitality as ,whistler has1--,i care not what his age1--another so dainty1 another so sprightly in wit8 ,do you see that dapper gentleman coming along ,cheyne ,walk1 silk hat with very tall crown and very straight brim2 habit apparently broadcloth 7frock coat71 fitting to perfection a supple figure2 feet small as a girl's1--an ,american girl's2 hands delicately gloved in yellow2 in the right hand a lithe1 slim wand1 twice as long as a walking stick2 glass in eye2 black moustache and slight #8imperial2' black hair with wavy threads of gray here and there8 ,the dainty gentleman lifts his hat1 and you see above his forehead the slender1 white lock--the white plume as famous as that of ,navarre4 ,this is our friend ,whistler1 the inimitable1 truly called #8the master4' ,you may meet him in the early morning1 or at a private view in the afternoon1 at an evening party1 two hours before midnight or two hours after it2 and you will find him as fresh in spirit1 as dainty1 as lively1 as witty at one time as at another40 ,some one once gave him an ,american umbrella1--one of those that when rolled tightly are as small as walking-sticks4 ,he was delighted with it1 and used it as a cane4 ,one day1 coming out of the studio with a friend1 and while hurrying to the cab-stand a few blocks away1 it began to drizzle1 and his friend1 who had no umbrella1 said3 8,hurry and put up your umbrella or we'll get our hats wet40 ,he fumbled a second at the umbrella1 then hurried on4 8,but ,i would get my umbrella wet40 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was commonly said ,whistler was unapproachable4 ,in his studio1 when at work1 yes2 in his home1 no4 ,a note of introduction from any approved correspondent would almost invariably bring a favorable response4 ,but not every correspondent was approved2 or if so at one time1 did not necessarily remain so indefinitely1 and a note from the wrong--perhaps wronged--source was no commendation at all4 ,on the whole1 a frank application from a stranger for permission to call was quite as likely as not to prove successful1 such a note in itself being a tribute4 ,but at the studio it was very different4 ,he had no reception-days or hours1 as many painters have4 ,he had no use for the social rabble in his workshop4 ,one warm afternoon1 when hard at work1 the bell rang4 ,brush in hand1 he went to the outer door at the head of the six flights of steep1 slippery oak stairs1 and found there ,mr4 ,c----1 whom he knew1--a man who had little to do but bother others1--and ,lady ,d----1 a distinguished and clever woman1 both out of breath from their long climb4 8,ah6 my dear ,mr4 ,whistler10 drawled ,c----1 8,i have taken the liberty of bringing ,lady ,d---- to see you4 ,i knew you would be delighted40 8,delighted6 ,i'm sure2 quite beyond expression2 but10--mysteriously1 and holding the door so as to bar their entrance1--8my dear ,lady ,d----1 ,i would never forgive our friend for bringing you up six flights of stairs on so hot a day to visit a studio at one of those--eh--pagan moments when0--and he glanced furtively behind him and still further closed the door--8it is absolutely impossible for a lady to be received4 ,upon my soul1 ,i should never forgive him40 ,and the lady looked daggers at her confused cavalier1 as ,whistler bowed them down the six flights of oaken stairs and returned to resume work on the portrait of a very sedate old gentleman1 who had taken advantage of the interruption to break for a moment the rigor of his pose4 ,in those days and for many years the ,paris studio was at ,no4 #hf ,notre ,dame des ,champs4 ,whistler said one day1 8,only the ,french have any taste in the naming of streets40 ,the six steep flights of polished oak stairs no doubt shortened his life by many years4 ,as long ago as #ahid he was accustomed to take a long rest on a settee at the head of the third flight1 and again on reaching the top4 ,later he would have his luncheon served in the studio to avoid the fatigue of going down and coming back4 ,he was by no means an old man1 and looked the picture of health1 cheeks ruddy1 eye bright2 but he would get out of breath1 and his heart gave him trouble1--startled him at times with its eccentricities and warnings4 ,a blunt friend1 frightened at seeing him one day almost collapse on reaching the studio1 said3 8,i tell you1 ,whistler1 those stairs will be the death of you2 and ,i'll be hanged if ,i am coming here any more with you1 for you'll die on my hands1 and that would get me into a nice mess4 ,why don't you have a studio on the ground floor80 8,when ,i die--,i will40 99 99 99 99 99 ,but while casual callers met with scant courtesy at the studio1 he was1 as has already been noted1 exceptionally cordial to all who were sincerely interested in his work1 and would spend hours and hours of days that were precious in showing pictures to people who really could not understand them1--for that matter1 who did understand them8--but who were honest in their expressions of approval1 and this1 too1 with no thought of selling anything he had2 in fact1 nothing chilled the enthusiasm of the moment so much as the suggestion of a purchase2 he became immediately a different being1 and one by one his treasures would be turned to the wall4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the studio was a large barn-like room at the very top of the high building4 ,there was a small entryway1 which had a glass door opening out upon a balcony1 high up over the street1 and another door which opened into the studio proper4 ,a huge skylight lighted this great attic1 but only in part1 for the room was too big to be well lighted from any one opening4 ,the old oak floor was quite dark1 and in places where he worked it was polished by use1 for when entirely absorbed he had the habit of moving back and forth so quickly as to slide a pace or two4 ,the tone of the studio was brown1 not a deep or muddy brown1 but a brown that seemed tinged with gray4 ,the base-board that stretched a narrow line about the big room was a deeper shade than the wall1 and so nice were the gradations of tone1 that floor1 base-board1 wall1 and raftered ceiling blended together as one harmonious whole1 all of which was the work of ,whistler4 ,the furniture amounted to nothing3 a table near the far side1 where he lunched1 an old sofa against the wall under the skylight1 two or three old ,french chairs1 his easel and palette4 ,there was a high stove near the door1--one of those ,french complications intended for the generation of a maximum of heat with a minimum consumption of precious coal4 ,like most labor-saving devices1 it required some skill for its management1 and ,whistler was not a mechanic4 ,one cold day it was only too apparent the stove needed encouragement1 and the sitter suggested that the damper be opened1--in fact1 started to open it himself1 when ,whistler1 greatly alarmed1 exclaimed3 8,god bless me6 but you must not touch that2 the last time ,i meddled with it1 the fire went out4 ,there is only one man in ,paris who understands that stove40 8,well1 where is he80 8,dear me1 ,i discharged him to-day4 ,how unlucky40 8,then1 we must seize the stove by the horns and take our chances on the consequences40 ,and throwing the damper wide open1 there was soon a blazing fire4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for work outside1 ,whistler used a very small palette of the usual form2 in his studio he carried no palette whatsoever1 but used in lieu thereof a rectangular table that resembled a writing-desk4 ,the top sloped slightly2 at the left were tubes of colors1 at the right one or two bowls containing oil and turpentine1 with which the colors when mixed were reduced so thin that they would run on the sloping top of the table4 ,he relied upon innumerable coats of thin color to secure the desired effect rather than upon one or two coats of greater consistency4 ,this made the work long and tedious as compared with the modern mode of taking the pigments as they squirm from the tubes and pasting them while yet alive on the canvas2 but it has undoubtedly given his pictures a permanency and durability far beyond that of others4 ,he seldom began to arrange his palette until the model or sitter was in pose2 and ten or fifteen minutes were not infrequently spent in getting palette and brushes to suit him4 ,to a model paid by the hour this delay was of no concern1 but to the unpractised sitter1 whose limit of endurance and patience did not exceed an hour1 the time spent in setting the palette seemed unduly long and altogether wasted4 ,but all that was a part of the refinement of ,whistler's art4 ,so susceptible was his color-sense that he could not mix colors to suit him unless canvas and sitter were before him precisely as they would be when he began to paint4 ,the arrangement of the colors on the palette was but preliminary to placing those same colors on the canvas1 therefore the sitter was as essential to the one process as the other4 99 99 99 99 99 ,once inside his studio1 ,whistler seemed to lose all the eccentricities of manner by which he was known to the world4 ,he doffed his coat1 substituted for his monocle a pair of servicable spectacles1 and was ready for work4 ,if it were a full-length portrait1 he placed the canvas near his palette and his sitter in pose about four feet to the other side of the easel4 ,for observation he stood about twelve feet back towards the doorway1--very close1 in fact1 to the refractory stove4 ,the light fell slanting on the right of the portrait and sitter1 over the painter's left shoulder1 and this light he would modify each day according to the amount of sunshine and the effect he desired4 ,he then selected two or three small brushes with handles about three feet in length1 stood back about twelve feet1 took a good look at both sitter and canvas1 then stepping quickly forward1 and1 standing as far from the canvas as the long handles and his arms permitted1 he began to rapidly sketch in the figure with long1 firm strokes of the brush4 ,the advantage of long handles was obvious1--they enabled him to stand back quite a distance and sketch directly from his sitter4 ,except for this first sketch1 he used ordinary brushes with ordinary handles4 ,there was nothing eccentric or unusual in his methods or in what he worked with4 ,probably no painter in all ,paris used simpler means to arrive at great results4 ,it is quite likely that no other painter of to-day--judging entirely from appearances of modern canvases--could achieve any satisfactory results with materials so elemental4 ,to make the sketch required possibly thirty minutes4 ,to the casual observer there was often more of a likeness in the first sketch than at any time after1--which simply goes to show the power of line devoid of color and also the easy task of the caricaturist4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the sketch finished1 the long-handled brushes were discarded and work began in earnest4 ,with one or more1 sometimes a handful of brushes1--for they would accumulate without his realizing it1--he would again stand back and carefully scrutinize sitter and canvas until it seemed as if--and no doubt it was so--he transferred a visual impression of the subject to the canvas and fixed it there ready to be made permanent with line and color2 then quickly1 often with a run and a slide1 he rushed up to the canvas and1 without glancing at his sitter1 vigorously painted so long as his visual image lasted1 then going back the full distance he took another look1 and so on day after day to the end4 ,in life-size work he seldom stood close to the canvas and painted direct from his sitter4 ,he has laid down the proposition3 8,the one aim of the unsuspecting painter is to make his man #8stand out' from the frame1 never doubting that1 on the contrary1 he should really1 and in truth absolutely does1 stand within the frame1 and at a depth behind it equal to the distance at which the painter sees his model4 ,the frame is1 indeed1 the window through which the painter looks at his model1 and nothing could be more offensively inartistic than this brutal attempt to thrust the model on the hitherside of this window40#df ,the number of sittings required varied greatly1 and did not depend in any degree upon the size of the canvas4 ,sometimes he would paint a life-size figure with great rapidity2 again he would spend weeks and months on a very small picture4 ,all depending upon conditions over which he had no control4 ,he has devoted as many as ninety sittings to a portrait1 only to pronounce it unfinished and unsatisfactory4 ,no work counted or was permitted to remain save that painted in what he called his 8grand manner10 which meant the work of those days and hours when everything--sitter1 light1 weather1 spirits1 mood1 enthusiasm--was just right1--a combination that might come several days in succession or but once in a fortnight4 ,he once said1 8,the portrait of my mother was painted in a few hours10 meaning that the work of the last few hours was the work that really counted4 ,it was interesting to watch a picture grow under the hands of ,whistler4 ,with most painters something is finished from day to day1 and in the course of ten or twelve sittings the portrait is complete4 ,not so with him4 ,nothing1 not a detail1 not even an infinitesimal section of the background was finished until the last4 ,he worked with great rapidity and long hours1 but he used his colors thin and covered the canvas with innumerable coats of paint4 ,the colors increased in depth and intensity as the work progressed4 ,at first the entire figure was painted in grayish-brown tones1 with very little of flesh color1 the whole blending perfectly with the grayish-brown of the prepared canvas2 then the entire background would be intensified a little2 then the figure made a little stronger2 then the background1 and so on from day to day and week to week1 and often from month to month1 to the exhaustion of the sitter1 but the perfection of the work1 if the sitter remained patient and continued in favor4 ,at no time did he permit the figure to get away from or out of the background2 at no time did he permit the background to oppress the figure1 but the development of both was even and harmonious1 with neither discord nor undue contrast4 ,and so the portrait would really grow1 really develop as an entirety1 very much as a negative under the action of the chemicals comes out gradually--lights1 shadows1 and all from the first faint indications to their full values4 ,it was as if the portrait were hidden within the canvas and the master by passing his wands day after day over the surface evoked the image4 ,most painters can take a canvas and begin at once with the colors of the finished picture1 making each stroke count from the very first1 often1 if the canvas has been prepared1 doing little or nothing to the background4 ,whistler himself would sometimes let the prepared canvas show1 all the resources of his art he understood1 but if he did1 the picture was simply a sketch4 ,in a very profound sense ,whistler's work from the very beginning was always finished1--finished in the sense that any growing thing is perfect from day to day4 ,the plant may be but a tender shoot just appearing above the ground1 or it may be in full leaf1 or in gorgeous blossom1 but it is finished1 it is perfect by day and night4 ,in that sense were ,whistler's paintings finished4 ,if they were sketches1 then the slight amount of color used was precisely the amount the sketch required4 ,at no time was the sense of proportion outraged by carrying line or color or likeness beyond the symmetrical development of the three4 99 99 99 99 99 ,one must not be understood as saying that all his pictures are of equal merit1--perfection does not necessarily mean that2 nor that he did not do many things he considered failures4 ,few painters ever destroyed more work1 no painter was ever more critical of his own work4 ,but1 in spite of all he could do1 things would get out into the world that he wished destroyed4 ,this was due in part to the facility with which he made sketches and the enthusiasm with which he would begin new things1 many of which never got on4 ,now and then some of these unfinished things--unfinished from the first stroke1 because never quite satisfactory to him--would escape his studio4 ,artists express very positive opinions regarding the merits of his pictures1 placing some with the best the world has done1 others as quite unworthy the master4 ,as no two painters agree which are the best and which are the least worthy1 the layman is helpless4 ,in truth1 only ,whistler himself could have pointed out all the qualities and defects1 and this he never did4 ,if pressed for an opinion or a preference1 he would evade the question1 or by deftly speaking of this or that quality of the works under discussion would leave his hearers with the impression they knew all about the matter1 when in reality they were no wiser than before4 ,he simply did not care to discuss his work intimately with the lay or the professional mind4 ,what he saw was beyond their comprehension1 or if not beyond their comprehension1 then they saw it without further words from him1 for did not the picture speak plainly for itself8 99 99 99 99 99 ,contrary to general impression1 he was patience itself in his studio4 ,a sitter who was with him every day for nearly six weeks never heard him utter an impatient word2 on the contrary1 he was all kindness4 ,he would permit his sitter to bring friends to the studio1 and he would listen to all the foolish suggestions that could occur to a tired and impatient man4 ,sometimes he would rebuke a too-insistent sitter1 as the following anecdotes show1 if true3 ,it is said that one man annoyed him by saying at the end of each sitting3 8,how about that ear1 ,mr4 ,whistler8 ,don't forget to finish that60 ,at the last sitting1 everything being done except this ear1 ,whistler said3 8,well1 ,i think ,i am through4 ,now ,i'll sign it40 ,which he did in a very solemn1 important manner1 as was his way4 8,but my ear1 ,mr4 ,whistler6 ,you aren't going to leave it that way80 8,oh1 you can put it in after you get home40 ,he was once painting the portrait of a distinguished novelist1 who1 though extremely clever1 was not blessed with the fatal gift of beauty4 ,when the portrait was finished1 the sitter did not seem satisfied with it4 8,don't you like it80 inquired ,whistler4 8,no2 can't say ,i do4 ,but10 in self justification1 8you must admit that it is a bad work of art40 8,yes10 ,whistler replied2 8but ,i think you must admit that you are a bad work of nature40 ,the truth is1 he would listen to every suggestion made by the sitter1 model1 or even casual visitor1 if one were admitted4 ,a sitter once said to him3 8,mr4 ,whistler1 isn't there something wrong about the right eye80 ,instantly alert1 he said3 8,what's that you say8 ,um--um--right eye----0 ,and he carefully examined the canvas4 8,we'll have a look at that4 ,suppose you stand for just a moment--just a moment40 ,and he paid as much heed as if the criticism had come from competent sources4 ,mrs4 ,whistler would now and then come to the studio1 and he would eagerly ask her opinion of the progress made2 and her suggestions were always followed4 ,for her ability as an artist--for her own pleasure1 rather than for profit--and as a critic of his work he had the highest opinion4 ,her suggestions were ever to the point1 and under her influence a work always made rapid headway4 ,it was an irreparable loss when she died in #ahig1 and he was never again quite so light-hearted4 ,for a long time he kept the apartments at #aaj ,rue du ,bac1 but did not live there4 99 99 99 99 99 ,his will expressed his devotion to her memory and belief in her art1-- 8,i bequeath my wife's entire collection of garnets rare and beautiful1 together with sprays1 pendants1 etc41 of the same style of work or setting in white stones1 brilliants1 or old paste1 our entire collection of beautiful old silver and plate1 and the complete collection of old china1 to the ,louvre4 ,this bequest is on condition that the three collections be gathered together in one and displayed as the #8,beatrix ,whistler ,collection4' ,also that in it or appropriately in the same room shall be hung proofs of my wife's exquisite etchings1 of which ,i leave a list attached to my will signed by me40 ,by a codicil dated ,may #g1 #aijc1 he revoked the bequest to the ,louvre1 but he expressed a desire that1 in the event of his residuary legatee retaining the collection of garnets during her life1 she would bequeath them to the ,louvre upon her death4 ,he was unsparing of his sitters only in this one respect1--he would become so absorbed in his work as to completely forget them1 and they would collapse with fatigue4 ,sometimes he would notice by their pallor the faintness which was overcoming them1 and instantly1 all solicitude1 he would have them rest1 or go out on the balcony for fresh air2 but he himself never sat down4 ,while they were resting he would walk back and forth1 looking at the canvas1 but rarely touching it1 and talking to himself1--now and then1 but not often1 taking the sitter into his confidence4 ,the moment the sitter was rested he would begin working again like one possessed4 ,by close observation it could be seen that the best work was usually done during the first long pose1 or in the last hour of the afternoon1 when the shadows were deepening2 and the wise sitter would humor this trait and pose his longest and best in those two hours4 ,to the unaccustomed a half-hour standing--without moving so much as to disturb a line of the garments--is a long pose4 ,but with practice--and with ,whistler one had practice--an hour and a half without moving a muscle is not impossible4 ,every portrait ,whistler ever began he expected to make his masterpiece4 ,that is the way he started in with any work4 ,it was to be the best thing he ever did2 and so long as the enthusiasm lasted he would walk up and down the studio talking half to himself half to his sitter3 8,we will just go right on as we have begun1 and it will be fine1--perhaps the finest thing ,i have ever done40 8,not as good as the portrait of your mother80--the inevitable question4 8,perhaps2 who knows8 ,possibly finer in a way2 for this1 you know1 is different4 ,we'll make a big thing of it40 ,and so on for days and weeks1 until something would occur1--possibly weariness on the part of the sitter2 possibly failure to keep appointments on days when the painter felt like doing his best2 possibly too great anxiety to see the picture finished1--and the painter's enthusiasm would subside1 and the portrait would turn out not so great after all4 ,after the first few days he would place the canvas in its frame1 and thereafter paint with it so4 ,and his frames were designed by himself4 ,all who have seen his pictures know them1--just simple1 dignified lines1 with no contortions of wood and gilt4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when a sitter was of congenial spirit and complacent mood they would lunch in the studio1 and he would paint all day1 from eleven in the morning until--well1 until it was so dark that all was dim and shadowy and ghostly2 and then together both would take their leave1 always turning at the door for a last look at the canvas looming mysterious in the darkness2 then grope their way down the winding oaken stairs1 later to dine together at some unfrequented place where the proprietor watched the fire himself and had stored away in musty depths a few--just a few--relics of memorable vintages4 8,o my friends1 when ,i am sped1 appoint a meeting2 and when ye have met together1 be ye glad thereof2 and when the cup-bearer holds in her hand a flagon of old wine1 then think of old ,khayyam and drink to his memory40 ,in a glass of ruby ,margaux of the vintage of '#eh1 the last of its dusty bin1 ,i drink to the memory of those glorious days when the vacant canvas assumed the hues of life and grew beneath the touch2 and those fragrant nights when1 with stately ceremony1 the cob-webbed bottle came forth from its bed of long repose to subdue fatigue1 banish all care1 and leave but the thought of the beautiful4--,behold1 far soul1 the empty glass6 ,,ix ,portrait-,painting--,how he ,differed from his ,great ,predecessors--,the 8,likeness0--,composition of ,color--,no ,commercial ,side--,baronet vs4 ,butterfly4 ,whistler was not a 8portrait-painter10 as the phrase goes nowadays2 but he was1 in certain respects1 the greatest painter of portraits the world has known4 ,as a 8portrait-painter0 he fell far short of ,rembrandt1 ,velasquez1 and a host of lesser men2 but as a painter of portraits he rose superior to them all in certain refinements of the art4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is a vast difference between the 8portrait-painter0 to whom the sitter is of first importance and the painter to whom his art is of first importance4 ,the difference lies in the attitude of the artist towards his canvas1 towards the work he is about to undertake4 ,is the inspiration wholly his own1 or is he influenced by considerations quite foreign to the production of a pure work of art8 ,the attitude of the 8portrait-painter0 may be likened unto that of the 8poet laureate10 whose verse is at the command of conditions he does not control2 who may1 by accident1 write a good thing1--but the rule is otherwise1 with even the best4 99 99 99 99 99 ,to rightly place a human being on canvas1 or in stone1 or in marble1 or in poetry1 is the noblest achievement of art4 ,on the technical side it exhausts the resources of the art2 on the spiritual side it exhausts the genius of the artist4 ,but 8portrait-painting0 as a profession1 as an industrial and a commercial proposition1 is a degradation of art4 ,it is in strict accord with the spirit of the age2 it is a natural and an inevitable evolution4 ,but it is1 nevertheless1 a degradation1--for wherein does the shop-like atelier of the professional 8portrait-painter0 differ from the emporium and the bazaar of commerce8 ,and wherein do the methods of the shrewd and successful painter differ from those of the successful merchant8 ,are not the doors of the studio open to every comer with a purse8 ,are not the prices fixed at so much per square yard of canvas8 ,is not the patronage of celebrities sought1 regardless of artistic possibilities1 for the prestige it gives8 ,are not the ,a4,r4,a4 and the ,r4,a41 and all the degrees and decorations1 sought1 like the 8,by special appointment to ,h4,m4--0 of the tradesman1 for the money there is in them8 ,but what need to enumerate the motives that move the professional 8portrait-painter10--they are written on his every canvas4 ,sculpture still clings to its ideals1 and the 8bust-maker0 is a term of reproach4 ,no sculptor with any ambition whatsoever1 with any love for his art1 would willingly look forward to a career of portrait bust-making4 ,dire necessity may compel him1 and year after year he may make the marble and bronze effigies of local celebrities2 but the yoke galls1 the task wearies1 and he looks forward to the time when1 emancipated from his thraldom1 he may do something of his own4 ,not so the 8portrait-painter40 ,he glories in his degradation2 paints a score of huge1 staring canvases1 blatant likenesses of blatant people1 and1 before the paint is dry1 parades them in exhibition as his latest galaxy of masterpieces1--not that his art may be magnified1 but that his trade may be advertised4 ,the sculptor is only too glad if his bronze effigies are hidden in leafy thickets1 in parks1 and out-of-the-way places4 ,he has not learned the commercial value of exhibitions4 ,he does not every few months place on view a lot of marbles and bronzes1 the work of as many weeks4 ,he has not caught from the shop-keeper the trick of displaying his wares in a window4 ,but the 8portrait-painter0----6 99 99 99 99 99 8,portrait-painting0 pays1--that is the worst of it all4 ,it is the one branch of the art of painting that can be followed as methodically as the making of clothes4 ,it is1 for that matter1 closely allied to and quite dependent upon the tailor and the dressmaker4 ,worth has made more portraits than any one painter in ,paris4 ,the 8portrait-painter0 must dress his manikin in clothes that will 8paint10 for the manikin is worse than nothing for the picture4 ,there must be a gown of brilliant stuffs1 and either a hat or the hair-dresser1--who also has made and unmade portraits1--or there must be a uniform1 hunting-breeches1 judge's gown and wig1 accordingly as the manikin is woman or man2 and it is the theatrical trappings that are painted1 and1 incidentally thereto1--manikin4 99 99 99 99 99 ,reynolds painted something like two thousand canvases4 ,in #ageh one hundred and fifty persons sat to him1--an average of three portraits a week4 ,he was as methodical as an automatic machine4 ,rose early1 breakfasted at nine1 was in the studio at ten1 worked by himself until eleven1 when his first sitter of the day would appear1 to be succeeded by another precisely one hour later1 and so on1 a sitter an hour1 until four o'clock1 when the popular painter made himself ready for a plunge in the social swirl4 ,portraits produced under such conditions cannot be made more than technically brilliant1--superficial likenesses of the great majority of the sitters1--and are unworthy the painter's art4 ,after a brief study of their careers1 and without seeing a portrait by either1 one would be warranted in looking for a masterpiece among ,gainsborough's two hundred and twenty portraits rather than among the two thousand canvases of ,reynolds4 ,great facility of execution is not necessarily a condemnatory feature of a man's art1 but it is a dangerous feature1 and with most men it is a fatal feature4 ,the hand of the master must be entirely subservient to the brain4 ,no obstacle should intervene between the inspiration and its complete expression1 but the hand must not force the imagination2 and it is true that command of technic--mere digital dexterity--does lead the performer1 whether painter or musician1 to speak when he has nothing to say4 ,happily for the reputation of ,reynolds1 he painted now and then a portrait in which he took more interest1 and these have some--possibly not many--of the qualities that live4 ,for the most part his reputation rests on mere volume of brilliant and high-grade work1--very much as one factory has a greater reputation than another4 ,and he did more than any man who ever lived to reduce 8portrait-painting0 to a trade1 a mechanical pursuit4 ,in the modern sense of the phrase1 he was one of the greatest of 8portrait-painters20 certainly the most 8successful0--again in the modern sense--the world has known1 of talent supreme1 in genius wanting4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but there are portraits and portraits1--to illustrate3 ,there are portraits4 ,there are portraits that are also pictures4 ,there are pictures that are also portraits4 ,there are pictures4 ,the first-named are mere likenesses1--photographs on canvas4 ,this sort is very common and very popular2 they are made with great facility by the professional 8portrait-painters0 and they are greatly applauded wherever seen4 ,they have their fixed prices1--so much for half1 three-quarters1 or full-length1--and they are quite a matter of commerce1 with a maximum of dexterity and a minimum of art4 ,there are those who can and do paint great portraits1 who turn out endless numbers of these mechanically-made things to the detriment of their art4 ,of the best of this sort were the most of ,reynolds's portraits1--superficially brilliant and attractive likenesses that ought not to be seen outside the family circle for which they were intended4 ,of this same sort are most of those startling people who issue from the studios of the popular 8portrait-painters0 of to-day1 to thrust the nonentity of their individualities upon us4 ,the identity of the 8,blue-,boy10 by ,gainesborough1 is quite immaterial2 the identity of the 8,shrimp-,girl10 by ,hogarth1 is likewise immaterial2 the identity of the 8,child with a ,sword10 by ,manet1 is of no importance1--for these are pictures1 though at the same time portraits4 ,but the identity of the 8portraits0 by the popular 8portrait-painter0 is1 in ninety-nine instances out of a hundred1 a matter of great importance1 the value of the canvas being enhanced by the celebrity or notoriety of the sitter4 ,the mere portrait is better than no portrait at all1 but it should be a fixture in its own household1 a family heirloom1 and strictly entailed2 descendants failing1 then to the midden4 ,between the mere portrait and the portrait that possesses some of the universal qualities of a work of art the interval is wide1 and almost one of kind rather than degree1 though no line of strict demarcation can be drawn2 while1 as between the painting that is primarily a portrait1 with incidental universal qualities1 and a painting that is primarily a work of art1 and incidentally a portrait1 the difference is entirely a matter of degree4 ,in1 for instance1 the 8,blue-,boy0 the portrait element predominates2 in the 8,shrimp-,girl0 the universal element predominates4 ,in the former1 the portrait was uppermost in the painter's mind2 in the other1 the picture was the only consideration4 ,and yet ,hogarth's is undoubtedly the more perfect portrait1 though slight and sketchy as compared with the composition and finish of the ,gainsborough4 ,in fact1 the 8,shrimp-,girl10 as an abstract work of art1 is a degree higher than the picture-portrait4 ,it is a picture1--a work of art in the doing of which no considerations other than the artistic intention moved the painter4 ,a mere portrait1 in the dash and brilliancy of its execution or the decorative quality of its color1 may be better than a picture of indifferent execution or poor color2 the one may be worth keeping in a limited circle1 or even of some use decoratively in a more general way1 while the other is not worth preserving at all4 ,but there is hope for the man who attempts to paint a picture1 to produce a work of art1 though he fails miserably2 whereas there is no hope for the brilliant technician whose sole ambition is to paint and sell his canvas photographs as rapidly as possible4 ,manet's 8,child with a ,sword0 is a superb portrait of a child1--a model1 to be sure1 but none the less a little human being1 with as many attributes of life and humanity as the child whose parents pay the price of a likeness4 ,manet's chief merit lies in the fact that all his life long he tried to paint pictures1 sometimes successfully1 sometimes unsuccessfully2 never with any profound insight into human nature or life1 but always straightforwardly and sincerely1 and with a strong1 firm hand4 ,he painted many portraits of his sister and his friends1 but invariably with the intention to do something of more universal validity than a likeness4 ,the casual visitor to the ,louvre may examine at his leisure the little 8,infanta0 and the 8,mona ,lisa10 both great pictures1 both great portraits1 but of the two the portrait element is rather more pronounced in the ,velasquez than in the ,leonardo4 ,the little 8,infanta0 is there for all time on the canvas1 precisely as she was in the painter's studio1 a wonderful portrait of a child1 a wonderful picture of a bit of humanity1 but less of a type than an individual4 ,as for the 8,mona ,lisa10 who can doubt that in the long years the painter worked on this portrait all superficial resemblances and characteristics disappeared until the constant1 the elemental1 the soul alone remained8 ,it possesses many of the qualities of the idealized madonnas of ,italian religious art4 ,it began with the painter's admiration of a beautiful woman1 an individual of that day and generation2 it ended with an ideal which will last so long as the slowly-darkening pigments retain line and lineaments4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the mere adding of accessories in the way of composition or background or the adoption of a classic or theatrical pose may make the work more decorative1 but it does not enhance the real merit of the portrait1 the status of which cannot be altered by the surrounding canvas4 ,when ,mrs4 ,siddons entered ,reynolds's studio1 he said1 as he conducted her to the raised platform3 8,take your seat upon the throne for which you were born1 and suggest to me the idea of the #8,tragic ,muse4'0 8,i made a few steps10 relates the actress1 8and then took at once the attitude in which the #8,tragic ,muse' has remained40 ,when the portrait was finished1 ,sir ,joshua said3 8,i cannot lose this opportunity of sending my name to posterity on the hem of your garment10 and he placed his signature on the border of the gown4 ,all of which are the conditions under which theatrical and meritricious art is produced4 ,the portrait of a woman posing as the 8,tragic ,muse0 may turn out well1 but the chances are otherwise4 ,there are 8portrait-painters0 who are better than others1 and the best of all were ,rembrandt and ,velasquez1 the latter the greatest portrait-painter who ever lived1--so great that his portraits are great as pictures2 but not quite in the abstract sense that a painting by ,raphael is a picture1--a bright and beautiful song in line and color2 not quite in the sense that a painting by ,angelo is a picture1--the tumultuous outpouring of a human soul2 not quite in the subtle sense that a painting by ,whistler is a picture1--a harmony to delight the eye as music delights the ear4 ,rembrandt and ,velasquez were great in technical directions in their portraiture1 and their achievements remain unchallenged2 but in the painting of portraits each was something of the 8portrait-painter10--not the facile1 commercial painter of to-day1 but they painted portraits to earn their living4 ,now and then the portrait was a labor of love and a great picture1 seldom--at least in the case of ,velasquez--a matter of drudgery1 and therefore a failure4 ,velasquez was so happily situated in the court at ,madrid1 of the king's household1 on friendly terms with the royal family1 that he painted their portraits with far more devotion and interest than he could possibly feel towards a stranger4 ,a portrait of ,philip the ,fourth by ,velasquez ought to be as good a work of art as a bust of ,pericles by ,phidias1--and that is about the most that can be said in portraiture1--but a bust of ,pericles would not be the best that the art of ,phidias could do1 for his art was not limited by lineaments4 99 99 99 99 99 ,wherein the art of ,whistler differed from the art of ,rembrandt and ,velasquez in the painting of human likenesses is as follows3 ,with ,whistler the sitter1 whether model or patron1 was subordinated to the composition1 to the harmony of line and color1--was simply an integral part of the larger scheme in the painter's mind4 ,with ,rembrandt and ,velasquez the sitter was the important feature1 everything else being quite casual2 the object in mind being to paint a great portrait1 to put a human being on canvas4 ,a worthy object when worthily done1 but not quite so pure and subtle and abstract1 not quite so free from limitations of time and place and person as the intention to do something of universal validity in which the individual shall not obtrude beyond his due measure of importance4 ,in the attempt to do things that had never been done before1 in the attempt to make painting as pure an art as music and poetry1 ,whistler possibly made many failures1 or rather many more or less incomplete successes1 but in his best things it is undeniably true that he produced pictures wherein the portrait element was as subtly if not as 8strongly0 developed as in anything ever before painted1 and wherein at the same time that element was successfully subordinated to ideals more refined and universal4 ,both ,rembrandt and ,velasquez did 8stronger0 things than ,whistler1--that is to say1 they placed their subjects more positively and forcefully on the canvas1 so that they stand out more aggressively1 and fill not only their frames but the room2 they do not obtrude1 but they are great big characterizations which make themselves felt in any company4 ,whistler's portraits1 like all his pictures1 retire within their frames1 do not assert themselves1 are not 8strong10 as the term is quite legitimately used in the sense of powerful1 positive1 and vigorous4 ,his portraits are neither 8stunning0 nor overwhelming2 they are so quiet1 restful1 and harmonious as to almost escape notice4 ,there is a wraith-like quality about some of them that has often been noted2 some of them seem the portraits of shadows rather than realities4 ,a woman standing before 8,the ,fur ,jacket0 said3 8,so that is a portrait of a woman by ,whistler80 8,no10 replied her companion2 8it is ,whistler's impression of a woman40 ,neither was right1--for1 as a matter of fact1 it is simply a composition of line and color wherein a woman--in this case a model--is the central figure of the arrangement4 ,the painting of a likeness was not in ,whistler's mind at all4 ,the painting of a woman1 either as a type or an individual1 probably did not enter his head2 but he had in mind a scheme which pleased him1 and this scheme he placed on canvas4 ,it is quite likely the woman happened to enter his studio1 and the effect of figure1 costume1 and environment caught his fancy4 ,that was the way many of the portraits were begun4 ,lady ,archibald ,campbell was nothing to him except a possibility2 she was to him as a theme1 as a motive to a musician4 ,at the outset he had all sorts of trouble with the picture2 and it was not until one day ,lady ,campbell happened to come in with her fur cape over her shoulders that he made a new start and painted the picture4 ,it is a great portrait1 one of his very best1 a haunting likeness of a woman2 not such a photographic likeness as friends and relatives demand1 but just the likeness that posterity demands3 a woman1 a type1 with all the charm1 all the refinement1 all the real1 the true1 the elusive qualities of a woman1--in short1 those qualities of mind and body which reappear in descendants of the third and fourth generation and demonstrate the faithfulness of the portrait4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there is no portrait by ,rembrandt or ,velasquez which at all resembles ,whistler's portrait of his mother4 ,it is not at all like anything by ,rembrandt2 there is a hint of the blacks and grays of ,velasquez1 but that is a superficial observation made by every passing tourist4 ,in scheme1 composition1 intention1 and execution the picture is essentially different from anything the great ,spanish painter ever did4 ,one ought to recognize the fundamental difference between the two artists on looking at the little 8,infanta0 in the ,louvre1--there is no need to go farther4 ,velasquez had a firm strong grasp of life about him which ,whistler lacked4 ,the one was a man among men1 the other a poet among poets1 a musician among musicians1 a dreamer among dreamers2 the one painted men1 women1 and children because they interested him1 the other painted them because he was interested in beautiful things2 the one viewed the world by day with his feet planted firmly on the ground1 the other viewed it by dusk and by night with his head in the mist and clouds4 ,there was the same difference between ,velasquez and ,whistler that there is between two poets1 one of whom--like1 say1 ,byron--deals with life with a sure hand1 the other--like ,keats--deals with beauty as the finest thing in life4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in poetry even the casual reader does not confound men of opposite temperaments1 though both use the medium of verse to express their thoughts2 but in painting1 people habitually confuse men who have absolutely nothing in common except the medium they use4 ,and yet for every poet there is somewhere a painter of like moods and temperament4 ,men do not differ1 though some use poetry1 some music1 some sculpture1 some painting to express their fancies and convictions4 ,were one so disposed1 it would not be difficult to point out the ,browning1 the ,tennyson1 the ,whitman1 the ,bach1 the ,beethoven1 the ,wagner of painting1 for the human soul is the same in every art4 ,beyond the fact1 therefore1 that ,velasquez and ,whistler both expressed themselves by means of painting1 they were not at all alike1 and their work must reflect their fundamental differences4 ,whistler1 in susceptibility to color and fleeting line1 in love for abstract1 almost ethereal beauty1 was akin to the choice spirits of the far ,east4 ,he found more that appealed to him and affected him in the blue-and-white porcelain of ,china than in any painting from ,madrid4 ,velasquez might give him many valuable hints as to the use of color1 as to the practice of his art1 but no suggestions whatsoever as to ends and aims4 ,these motives he found in the ,east1 in those wonderful lands where men1 leaving nature far behind1 almost touched heaven in their philosophies1 and did seize some of heaven's infinite blues and silvery grays in their arts4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is idle to compare ,whistler's portraits with those of any other man1 for the qualities that make those of others great are not found accentuated in his1 and the qualities that make his great are not found refined in those of others4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the matter of likeness1 which troubles most people1 is of vital importance to the 8portrait-painter10 since it is his sole excuse1 the only justification he has for existing1 but to art it does not matter at all4 ,likeness has no objective existence4 ,it is entirely a matter of impression1 a subjective realization4 ,beyond the size of the mouth1 the shape of the nose1 the color of the eyes there is little to what is called a 8likeness40 ,a person never looks the same to different people or on different occasions4 ,to the casual acquaintance a 8likeness0 is but skin deep2 to the friend of a lifetime it is altogether a matter of character4 ,a portrait that satisfies a wife fails to please a mother1 and one that provokes the applause of the passing throng is a disappointment to the family4 99 99 99 99 99 ,for what is one man's appearance to another but the impact of personality upon personality1 the coming together of two vitalities clothed in flesh and blood4 ,but some there are who see only the clothes of another1--the very outward shell and husk2 others who see only the flesh and blood1--the physical covering2 others who get at the man and know him in part as he is4 ,for whom shall the portrait be painted1--for those who see1 or those who know1 or those who love8 ,and by whom shall the portrait be painted1--by the tailor-painter or by the soul-painter8 ,the world is filled with painters of the superficial1 with painters of husks2 and those are the painters who impress the multitude1 for they see what the multitude see1 and there is no mystery to puzzle1 but everything is superficial and plain4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a likeness is the physical semblance of the soul2 and the only likeness worth having on canvas or in marble or in words is the faithful transcript of the impression the sitter makes on the artist4 ,from the fact that this impression changes and deepens from hour to hour1 and day to day1 and week to week1 as the two beings come to know each other1 it follows that the best portrait can only be painted after sufficient acquaintance for the dissipation of those superficial traits and characteristics which envelop everyone like a fog4 ,it is the special province of caricature to seize upon a man's superficialities and peculiarities1 and make the most or the worst of them2 but it is the business of portraiture to get beneath and give a glimpse1 an impression of the true man4 ,to this end ,whistler's many and long sittings were of inestimable service4 ,the portrait grew with his acquaintance with his sitter4 ,what first pleased him as a scheme of color and an agreeable personality came in time to interest him as a human being1 with the result in the most successful canvases that the picture would be all he desired as a harmony1 as a song without sound1 and also a marvellously subtle realization of his impression of the human being he had learned to know4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in one respect the identity of a portrait is not a matter of entire indifference1 for the attitude of the painter is more or less affected by his relation to the sitter1 and whatever affects him affects his work4 ,many an artist does his best when his wife or child or some one he loves is the model2 and the man who could not paint his mother a little better1 a little more sympathetically than a stranger would be soulless indeed4 ,in poetry the influence of a mistress is a matter of tradition4 ,the picture1 as a work of art1 must be judged independently of its associations4 ,it stands by itself1 and is good1 bad1 or indifferent1 regardless of the painter or the conditions under which it was done2 but some of its excellencies may be explained if we learn it was a labor of love4 ,it would not add a feather's weight to the superb qualities of the 8,hermes10 at ,olympia1 if it were discovered to be a likeness of the sculptor's son2 nor would it detract in the slightest degree from its perfection if it were found to have been the work of an unknown man1 and not by ,praxiteles1--though in the latter case there would be a great abatement of enthusiasm on the part of the touring public4 ,but if a number of the master's works were in existence1 and it was perceived that the 8,hermes0 possessed certain qualities of tenderness1 certain indefinable elements of superiority that made it the masterpiece1 the knowledge that some one whom the sculptor loved dearly had posed would help to explain the almost imperceptible differences4 ,the work would stand on its own merits2 but one of the reasons why it stood so high would be found in the relationship between sculptor and model4 ,by many who should be qualified to speak ,whistler's portrait of his mother is considered his masterpiece1 possibly by some because it is of his mother1 but by others quite independently of the relationship4 ,others there are who consider the portrait of ,carlyle his masterpiece1 possibly because it is of ,carlyle1 but by some independently of the identity of the sitter4 ,seldom is the portrait of any unknown or less known sitter mentioned in comparison1--all of which goes to show the bias which results from knowing the identity4 ,every ,scotchman would insist upon the ,carlyle1 most of them quite unconscious of the patriotic bias4 ,there are pictures far more subtle in color1 more 8,whistlerian0 in effect1 more distinctively the creations of a great poet in color than these two portraits1 but as compared with any two1 or even three1 or1 possibly1 four others1 the preservation of these are of vital importance to the fame of the artist and the advancement of art4 ,in this sense they may be considered his masterpieces1 and of the two the one that hangs in the ,luxembourg is far the finer4 ,it is one of the few pictures that leave nothing to be said by painter or layman4 ,it is more than a portrait1--it is a large composition of line and form and color2 it is a great portrait made subordinate to a great picture4 99 99 99 99 99 ,whistler was seldom so satisfied with a portrait that he was willing to part with it4 ,he could always see things he wished to change1--partly1 no doubt1 because his impression of his subject changed from day to day1--and he would often keep a portrait by him for months and years before exhibiting4 ,in fact he exhibited a like reserve about nearly all his work4 ,it was next to impossible to get anything from him for current exhibitions4 ,he would faithfully and with the best of intentions promise to have something ready4 ,the time would come1 and he would be found still at work on the canvas as leisurely as if so many centuries were before him instead of so many hours1 ,nothing ever induced him to either hasten his work or exhibit it unfinished4 ,the fact that he might not be represented gave him not the slightest uneasiness4 ,the result was that the ,whistlers seen were generally old ,whistlers1--all the better for that4 ,for instance1 of the pictures exhibited at the ,world's ,columbian ,exposition1 not one had been painted within ten or fifteen years1--two dated as far back as #ahfd4 ,at the ,antwerp ,exhibition1 a year later1 there was certainly not a picture painted within ten years4 ,by this method the artist had the advantage of his own mature judgment and the assistance of time1--and time wields a great brush4 ,there is no glaze1 no finish1 no varnish equal to that dispensed so evenly1 so mellowly1 so softly1 so beautifully by time4 ,furthermore1 there is no judgment so sound1 no criticism so penetrating as the judgment and criticism of the artist himself on his own work after the enthusiasm of the hour has worn off4 ,one of the finest indications of ,whistler's greatness was this reserve in the exhibition of new work1 this ability to do fine things and quietly put them away out of sight1 until with lapse of time they could be looked over dispassionately1 repainted if necessary1 and either banished forever or exhibited in all their glory4 ,most artists delight in seeing exhibited immediately--often prematurely--the things they do1 and the delight is not unnatural4 ,others there are who1 on account of numerous disappointments or from queer crotchets1 are opposed altogether to exhibitions4 ,whistler was not of the latter class2 he was quite human enough to enjoy1 as he himself said1 the honors which come from well-conducted exhibitions4 ,he was an officer of the ,legion of ,honor1 had received awards and honors without number1 including the extraordinary award of the gold medal for etching and also for painting at the ,paris ,exposition of #aijj1 and an honorary degree from a ,scotch ,university4 ,these honors sat lightly1 but by no means uneasily1 upon him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,his unwillingness to part with work led to no end of trouble and misunderstanding4 ,people could not understand why they should not have what they had bargained and often paid for1 why there should be any delay whatsoever1 much less why after many demands their money should be returned and the picture kept by the artist4 ,all this is1 of course1 diametrically opposed to the rules of commerce1 and ,whistler has been blamed for his unreliability1 to use the mildest term urged against him4 ,without knowing him it is impossible to understand his attitude towards his pictures4 ,in the first place1 he was profoundly attached to them1 whether sold or not4 ,they were and remained his work2 and in a humorous way he frequently insisted upon this superior right of the creator1--as on the fly-leaf of the catalogue of his ,london exhibition1 which read3 8,nocturnes1 ,marines1 and ,chevalet ,pieces3 a catalogue4 ,small collection kindly lent their owners40 ,and sometimes this assertion of a superior equity went so far as to interfere with the right of possession1 which was quite beyond the comprehension of the multitude4 ,the story is told that a certain ,lady ,b---- purchased one of his pictures1 but was never able to get it4 ,one day she drove to the studio in her victoria4 ,mr4 ,whistler went out to the sidewalk to greet her4 8,mr4 ,whistler10 she said1 8two years ago ,i bought one of your pictures1 a beautiful thing1 and ,i have never been able to hang it on my walls4 ,it has been loaned to one exhibition after another4 ,now1 to-day ,i have my carriage with me1 and ,i would like to take it home with me4 ,i am told it is in your possession40 8,dear lady10 returned ,whistler1 8you ask the impossible4 ,i will send it to you at the earliest practicable moment4 ,you know1--those last slight touches1--which achieve perfection1--make all things beautiful40 ,and so forth and so forth1 to the same effect1 and the lady drove off without her picture4 ,after she had departed1 ,whistler commenced to poke around the studio1 and1 to the great astonishment of a friend who had been an involuntary listener to the above conversation1 he brought forth a canvas4 8,here it is10 he said4 8,she was right about one thing1 it is beautiful40 ,and it was beautiful4 8,but the impudence of these people10 he continued1 8who think that because they pay a few paltry hundred pounds they own my pictures4 ,why1 it merely secures them the privilege of having them in their houses now and then6 ,the pictures are mine60 ,however1 this side of ,whistler is on record in the case of 8,the ,baronet vs4 ,the ,butterfly10 as he called the suit of ,sir ,william ,eden to obtain possession of the portrait of ,lady ,eden4 ,as the circumstances of this famous case illustrate ,whistler's attitude towards his work1 and at the same time his attitude towards those who tried to deal commercially with him1 they are worth recalling3 ,in ,june1 #ahic1 ,sir ,william ,eden1 a wealthy ,english baronet1 wrote a letter to ,goupil ,co41 in ,london1 asking what ,mr4 ,whistler's price would be for a small picture of ,lady ,eden1 and he was informed that the price would be about five hundred guineas4 ,he replied1 stating that he thought the price too high1 and said that he would call and see ,mr4 ,whistler in ,paris4 ,instead of so doing1 he applied to a common friend1 who wrote ,whistler saying that the portrait 8is for a friend of mine1 on the one hand1 and1 on the other hand1 you will have to paint a very lovely and very elegant woman1 whose portrait you will be delighted to undertake10 and 8under the circumstances ,i think you might make very liberal concessions40 ,the matter of price was always a matter of indifference to ,whistler1--if also of indifference to the other party1--and when ,sir ,william wrote concerning the price1 ,whistler replied very cordially in ,january1 #ahid1 as follows3 8,,dear ,,sir ,,william ,,eden3 ,your letter has only just been handed to me1 but this may still1 perhaps1 reach you in the afternoon4 ,it is quite understood as to the little painting1 and ,i think there can be no difficulty about the sum4 ,the only really interesting point is that ,i should be able to produce the charming picture which1 with the aid of ,lady ,eden1 ought to be expected4 ,once undertaken1 however slight1 for me one work is as important as another1 and even more so1 as ,calino said4 ,as for the amount1 ,moore1 ,i fancy1 spoke of one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds40 ,the letter is quite characteristic of the artist4 ,his interest was in the possibility of producing a charming picture4 ,the amount he mentioned was less than he ordinarily asked for a water-color sketch1 and one-fifth that named by ,goupil ,co4 ,it must be noted that the amount is not fixed by ,whistler1 but is left at from one hundred to one hundred and fifty pounds1 depending of course upon the painter's own feeling regarding his work1 and not depending in any sense upon the whim of the baronet4 ,the portrait went on towards completion4 ,instead of painting a head1 as was originally suggested1 ,whistler painted a full-length figure seated upon a little sofa1 the entire composition being quite as elaborate an interior as if the canvas had been five times the size4 ,the picture was about fourteen to sixteen inches long by five or six inches high1 and was such an exquisite bit of the painter's art that a representative of a public gallery1 who did not know that it was a commission1 offered for it twelve hundred dollars1 and higher offers were made4 ,sir ,william ,eden did not again refer to the price1 although he had many opportunities2 but on ,february #ad1 ,st4 ,valentine's day1 the baronet visited the studio and expressed himself as delighted with the picture4 ,on taking leave1 he informed ,mr4 ,whistler that he was about to start for ,india on a hunting-tour1 and1 taking an envelope from his pocket1 he handed it to the artist4 8,here is a valentine for you4 ,look at it after ,i have gone4 ,don't bother about it just now40 ,when the artist opened his 8valentine10 he found a check for one hundred guineas1--the minimum amount mentioned in his letter4 ,the baronet had taken it upon himself to fix the price of the picture on the eve of his departure4 ,the 8valentine0 read as follows3 8#d ,,rue ,,de ,,presbourg1 ,,paris1 ,february #ad1 #ahid4 8,,dear ,,mr4 ,,whistler3 ,herewith your valentine1--cheque value one hundred guineas4 ,the picture will always be of inestimable value to me1 and will be handed down as an heirloom as long as heirlooms last4 8,i shall always look with pleasure to the painting of it1--and1 with thanks1 remain 8,yours sincerely1 8,,william ,,eden40 ,to which ,whistler immediately replied3 8#aaj ,,rue ,,du ,,bac1 ,,paris1 ,february #ad4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sir ,,william3 ,i have your valentine4 ,you really are magnificent1 and have scored all round4 8,i can only hope that the little picture will prove even slightly worthy of all of us1 and ,i rely on ,lady ,eden's amiable promise to let me add the few last touches we know of4 ,she has been so courageous and kind all along in doing her part4 8,with best wishes again for your journey1 8,very faithfully1 8,j4 ,,mcneill ,,whistler40 ,from the legal point of view ,whistler made the mistake of not immediately returning the check for one hundred guineas1 and the additional mistake of exhibiting the picture in the ,salon of the ,champ de ,mars in the spring of #ahid1 as ,no4 #aahg1 under the title of 8,brown and ,gold4 ,portrait of ,lady ,e----40 ,but ultimately the one hundred guineas were returned1 and the baronet brought suit to secure the possession of the picture4 ,whistler would have permitted himself to be drawn-and-quartered before ,sir ,william ,eden should have any work of his4 ,he felt1 and most justly1 that a work which had been begun by him1 first1 to oblige others1 and secondly1 as a labor of love1 had been placed upon a commercial footing of the lowest level4 ,he felt that there had been no real desire to have one of his pictures on account of its artistic merit1 but that there had been an attempt to secure something of commercial value for one-third its market price4 ,the episode of the 8valentine10 truly ingeniously devised1 completely changed the relations between the parties4 ,he painted out the little portrait1 substituted another head1 and stood ready to return the hundred guineas and to pay whatever damages the court might award the plaintiff2 but under no circumstances should the baronet have the picture4 ,for the first time in the annals of litigation the question was presented for final determination1--whether an artist could be compelled to deliver work which he claimed was not yet finished to his satisfaction1 even though he had received the price4 ,be it said to the credit of the ,french tribunal of last resort1 that it held broadly that the artist is master and proprietor of his work until such time as it shall please him to deliver it4 ,but that1 failing delivery1 he must return the price with interest thereon1 together with such damages as the sitter may have sustained4 ,the hand of the painter cannot be forced by the importunity of either patient or impatient patron1 and no man but the painter himself can say when a painting is sufficiently finished to be delivered4 ,except in those few cases where ,whistler took such intense dislikes to sitters or purchasers that he would not permit them to have his work under any circumstances1 there is no instance where the great painter1 in unduly delaying the delivery of a picture1 had any intention of depriving the owner of what was rightfully his1--namely1 the possession of the picture4 ,beyond the right of possession1 ,whistler did not concede much to the owner4 ,frequently he challenged the owner's right to exhibit without his sanction1 and he was quite inclined to deny to the owner the moral right to sell at speculative prices4 ,he had a poor opinion of those who would buy from the artist to sell later at a profit2 he classed them as dealers4 99 99 99 99 99 ,sitters did not always see things in the same light1 and became tired1 then impatient1 sometimes ugly4 ,then ,whistler would no longer like them1 and the sittings would come to an end4 ,if the portrait was unfinished1 it was cast aside to remain forever unfinished2 if finished1 the money would be returned and the portrait kept1--under no circumstances to fall into the hands of a person whom he disliked4 ,the studio contained many an unfinished portrait1 some of them works of great beauty1 but of complete indifference to ,whistler4 ,he lost all interest in them when he lost interest in the sitters2 and it mattered not to him that he had spent and lost days1 and weeks1 and months of precious time1 nor did it matter to him that his sitters had exhausted themselves with numerous and long seances4 99 99 99 99 99 ,childless1 his paintings were his children1 and to part with one was like the parting of mother and child4 ,in these days1 when the selling of pictures has become an essential part of the art of painting1 it is difficult for people to comprehend the attitude of a man who really did not like to sell4 8,what are pictures painted for1 if not to sell80 asks the spirit of the age4 ,it does not seem quite so obvious that poems are written to sell and that music is composed to sell4 ,even the 8practical man0 feels that poems and music ought to be made for something more than to sell1 and if they are not1 they will be the worst for the narrow end in view2 but paintings and sculpture1 they are commercial products to be dealt in accordingly4 ,when ,whistler did part with a picture he had no faculty for getting a high price4 ,his prices were very uncertain4 ,to one person he might ask a round sum1 to another small1--just as the mood seized him1 the price having no particular relation to the painting4 ,he never could see why paintings should be sold1 like cloth1 by the square yard2 why a large picture should necessarily bring more than a small4 ,to him perfection was perfection1 whether large or small4 ,what justifiable reason is there for the commercial schedule of so much for a head1 so much for a half-length1 so much for a full-length portrait8 ,the one may1 but does by no means necessarily1 take a little more time2 but1 then1 a painter does not value his work by the day4 ,a perfect thing is a perfect thing1 whether large or small1 ,whistler would frequently say4 ,in the matter of prices he was obliged to yield somewhat to custom1 and ask more for large pictures than for small1 but he did so reluctantly and intermittently1 with the natural result that dealers1 who screen pictures as the plasterer does his gravel1 could do nothing with him4 99 99 99 99 99 ,of late years1 with a demand far beyond any possible supply1 his prices advanced2 but where a ,degas1 for instance1 would sell for five1 ten1 or fifteen thousand dollars1 a ,whistler of incomparably greater beauty would sell for a third or a fifth the amount1--proof of what the co-operation of the dealer can do4 ,some years ago he showed a visitor several heads of ,italian children1 each about ten or twelve1 by sixteen or eighteen inches in size4 ,with them was a three-quarter length of one of the children4 ,they were all superb bits of portraiture1 and akin to the 8,little ,rose1 ,lyme ,regis10 in the ,boston ,museum of ,fine ,arts4 ,the visitor was eager to get one or more of the pictures4 ,after considerable pressure1 he said3 8,i think they ought to be worth six hundred guineas each2 don't you80 8,and the large one80 said the visitor4 8,oh1 the same4 ,that is no more important than the small40 8,very well4 ,may ,i have all four80 8,dear me6 ,you don't want them all80 8,if you will let me have them40 8,but--0 and then the struggle began1 8,i must look them over2 they are not quite finished40 8,but1 surely1 these two are finished40 8,yes1 ,i might let those go by-and-bye1 but not now40 8,will you send them to me80 8,yes1 certainly1 after ,i have gone over them again40 8,i will leave a check40 8,god bless me1 no6 ,you must not do that4 ,it will be time enough to send a check after you receive the little pictures40 ,needless to say1 the pictures were never received4 ,they had just been finished1 and he could not bring himself to part with them4 ,it was not a matter of money at all1--likely as not he sold them later for less1--but it was always next to impossible to get him to part with recent work4 ,if he happened to have on hand a picture five or ten years old1 possibly that could be bought and taken away1 but anything in which he was interested at the time he would not let go4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in #ahid he exhibited three small marines1 which he had painted off-shore while the boatman steadied ,illustration his boat4 ,they were fresh and crisp1--so good that a great painter of marines said of them in the exhibition1 8,they over-topped everything about them40 ,two were sold1 and he showed the third to an ,american who came to the studio4 ,the caller said at once he would be only too glad to take it at the price named2 the matter was apparently closed1 and the buyer sailed for home1 leaving a friend to get the picture4 ,a day or two after1 ,whistler stood looking long and earnestly at the little marine1 saying half to himself3 8,it is good1 isn't it80 ,then he took the canvas out of the frame1 and said3 8,i think it needs touching up a little40 ,another pause1 then3 8,do you know1 ,i believe ,i won't let this go just yet4 ,i want to go over it once more4 ,you know1 ,i can send your friend something else next winter1--something that he may like better4 ,and if he doesn't like it1 why1 he can return it40 8,but1 ,mr4 ,whistler1 he wants this little marine4 ,there is not much to do upon it1 is there80 8,no--o2 but1 then1 you see----0 8,well1 why not give it the last touches now1 and let him have it4 ,if you do not send him this1 ,i am afraid he will never have one of your pictures40 8,oh1 yes1 he will2 next winter----0 8,but next winter others will come in when we are not here1 and buy from you whatever you have40 8,well1 we will see40 ,and only persistent urgings1 day after day1 even after a draft on ,london had been forced upon him1 induced him to ship the painting4 ,at no time was there any question of price or money involved2 he simply did not wish to part with the last of his three marines4 ,it was not until about #ahij1 and after1 that ,whistler's paintings began to sell at anything like their real worth4 ,to his credit be it said1 his work was never 8popular40 ,by his independence1 his seeming defiance of all conventional and academic notions in his art1 his eccentricities1 and his lack of commercial instincts he managed1 at a very early period in his career1 to alienate1-- ,dealers1 ,painters1 and ,public1 the three factors upon which commercial success depends4 99 99 99 99 99 8,a millionaire--one who was getting up an art-gallery--went to ,whistler's studio and glanced casually at the pictures4 8#8,how much for the lot8' he asked1 with the confidence of one who owns gold mines4 8#8,your millions1' said ,whistler4 8#8,what6' 8#8,my posthumous prices4' ,and the painter added1 #8,good-morning4'0 ,x ,the ,school of ,carmen--,in ,search of ,health--,chelsea once more--,the ,end4 ,to please ,madame ,carmen ,rossi1 who as a child had been one of his best models1 ,whistler consented in #ahig to criticise the work of such students as might attend her school4 ,as a result ,carmen's atelier was for the time being the most distinguished in ,paris1 and it was not uncommon to see carriages with coachmen and footmen in livery before the door on the days that ,whistler was expected4 ,as he passed about among the pupils he seldom praised and was never enthusiastic4 ,he would sometimes stand many minutes before a canvas that merited his attention and would suggest changes and improvements2 and now and then he took a brush and made the alterations himself1 remarking1 if the student were a young woman1 8,now you have a ,whistler all to your charming self40 ,the story is told that once he stopped before a very brilliant canvas1 and exclaimed1 8,hideous6 hideous60 ,the student said1 somewhat proudly1 that she had taken private lessons from ,bouguereau1 and he blandly inquired1 8,bouguereau1 ,bouguereau1--who is ,bouguereau80 ,a pupil has printed some reminiscences of those days3#dg 8,usually ,mr4 ,whistler came once a week to criticise us1 and on those days the class1 numbering anywhere from fifteen to forty1 had been instructed to adopt a certain respectful mode of bearing on the arrival of the master2 so1 when the concierge threw wide the door and formally announced1 #8,monsieur ,whistler1' every student had risen to return his ceremonious salutation4 ,vividly ,i recall the scene3 a man of not much more than medium stature1 but so slight as to give the impression1 when standing apart from others1 of being much taller2 dressed entirely in black1 even to the sude gloves2 every garment immaculate in fit and condition2 a little red rosette of the ,legion of ,honor of ,france forming the only spot of color about him until a faint flush rose to his cheek as he greeted the class with kindly smile4 8,then1 as massier 7or monitor1 in charge of the class71 he passed me his long1 black1 fur-lined coat and tall1 straight-brimmed hat1--those well-known targets for the caricaturist1--and began his criticism by inspecting every drawing and weighing its merits--if any there were1 as only too rarely happened--before uttering a word4 ,this silent inspection finished1 ,mr4 ,whistler usually asked for a palette1--preferably mine1 because it was patterned after his own1 and made him #8feel at home1' as he expressed it1--and then1 without removing his gloves1 painted a few strokes here and there on some of the pupils' work4 ,even in the matter of a palette he evinced marked sentiment4 ,a carelessly kept one was1 above all1 his particular abhorrence1 and generally elicited some such remark as the following3 #8,my friends1 have you noticed the way in which a musician cares for his violin--how beautiful it is8 how well kept8 how tenderly handled8 ,your palette is your instrument1 its colors the notes1 and upon it you play your symphonies4' 8,as an instructor he was courteous to each pupil1 but naturally most interested in those who followed his precepts closest4 ,sometimes he jested at the expense of a luckless pupil4 ,i remember an amusing instance4 ,smoking was prohibited on the days for criticism1 since our master believed it clouded the atelier and in some degree obscured a view of the model4 ,one day1 upon entering1 ,mr4 ,whistler noticed an ,englishman1 much addicted to his huge cigars1 who continued puffing away contentedly during the #8criticism4' ,mr4 ,whistler turned quickly1 asking me why his wishes were not enforced2 but before ,i could frame a reply he had addressed our ,british friend1 saying1 #8,er--my dear sir1 ,i know you do not smoke to show disrespect to my request that the students should refrain from smoking on the days ,i come to them1 nor would you desire to infringe upon the rules of the atelier--but--er--it seems to me--er--that when you are painting--er--you might possibly become so absorbed in your work as to--er--well--let your cigar go out4' ,i often remarked a whimsical affectation of ,mr4 ,whistler in his manner of speech with different pupils in his class1--we were a diverse lot from many lands1 ,americans and ,english predominating4 ,if criticising an ,american1 for instance1 ,mr4 ,whistler's choice of language1 and in some cases his accent1 would become markedly ,english in form2 while in addressing an ,englishman he would adopt the ,yankee drawl1 sometimes adding a touch of local slang4 ,i subsequently learned that these were his customary tactics1 even in society1 but in class criticism he always addressed us in ,french40 ,his methods of teaching were original4 ,he laid little stress on drawing4 ,he hated and despised academic treatment4 ,he wanted the pupil to paint4 ,a few careful charcoal strokes on the canvas as a guide1 the rest to be drawn in with brush and color4 ,and he preached simplicity1--as few tones as possible1 as low as possible4 ,but it is painful to record that the endeavors of a certain proportion of the class to attempt the achievements of the master in this respect resulted in a unique crop of posters4 ,the constant theme of his discourse was 8mixtures40 ,he advised a pupil to get first on his palette a correct and sufficient mixture of each tone required for his picture4 ,often he would give a long criticism without so much as glancing at the canvas1--a criticism on the mixtures he found on the pupil's palette2 and he himself would work indefinitely at the colors1 and all the while talking1 till it appeared to him to be satisfactory4 8,and then10 says an enthusiastic young artist1 8when he did take up some of the color and transfer it to the canvas1 why1 it would just sing40 8,one day on entering the class-room he discovered that a red background had been arranged behind the model4 ,he was horrified1 and directed the students to put up something duller in tone4 8,then he scraped out the red paint on a pupil's canvas and proceeded to mix and lay on a new background4 ,somehow the red would show through1 and he found it difficult to satisfy himself with the effect he produced4 ,he mixed and studied and scraped1 working laboriously1 surrounded by a group of admiring students4 ,finally1 he remarked3 8#8,i suppose you know what ,i'm trying to do8' 8#8,oh1 yes1 sir1' they chorused4 8#8,well1 it's more than ,i know myself1' he grimly replied40 ,it is to be hoped that his epigrammatic utterances which hung on the walls of the ,carmen ,rossi school have been preserved1 for they would be valuable additions to the 8,propositions0 and 8,ten o',clock0 already published4 ,with none of the instincts of the teacher1 he in time lost interest in the school4 ,after a year or two his visits became infrequent1 and upon leaving ,paris his connection ceased4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the studio in ,notre ,dame des ,champs and the home on the ,rue du ,bac were closed a few years after the death of ,mrs4 ,whistler1 and he made his home once more in ,chelsea1 at #gd ,cheyne ,walk1 with frequent excursions to the ,continent4 ,in the winter of #aija he was at ,ajaccio1 and he wrote to a friend3 8,you will be surprised at this present address4 ,but it's all right1--#8,napoleon and ,i1 you know4'0 ,in another letter to the same friend1 speaking of a public official with whom he had some legal transactions1 he remarks3 8,say that ,i know how devotedly kind he has been in his care of me1 but the care of the state overwhelms him4 ,you cannot serve the republic 444 and ,whistler40 99 99 99 99 99 ,for many years his heart had troubled him1 and towards the last the warnings came more frequently and persistently4 ,the year before his death he was quite ill at ,the ,hague1 and one of the ,london papers printed the following of a semi-obituary flavor3 8,mr4 ,whistler is so young in spirit that his friends must have read with surprise the ,dutch physician's pronouncement that the present illness is due to #8advanced age4' ,in ,england sixty-seven is not exactly regarded as #8advanced age2' but even for the gay #8butterfly' time does not stand still1 and some who are unacquainted with the details of ,mr4 ,whistler's career1 though they may know his work well1 will be surprised to hear that he was exhibiting at the ,academy forty-three years ago4 ,his contributions to the exhibition of #ahei were #8,two ,etchings from ,nature1' and at intervals during the following fourteen or fifteen years ,mr4 ,whistler was represented at the ,academy by a number of works1 both paintings and etchings4 ,in #ahfc his contributions numbered seven in all1 and in #ahfe four4 ,among his ,academy pictures of #ahfe was the famous #8,little ,white ,girl1'#dh the painting that attracted so much attention at the ,paris ,exhibition of #aijj4 ,this picture--rejected at the ,salon of #ahfc--was inspired1 though the fact seems to have been forgotten of late1 by the following lines of ,swinburne3 8#8,come snow1 come wind or thunder ,high up in air1 ,i watch my face and wonder ,at my bright hair1 etc41 etc4'0 ,the item called forth the following characteristic correction1 dated from ,the ,hague3 8,,sir3 ,i feel it no indiscretion to speak of my #8convalescence' since you have given it official existence4 ,illustration 8,may ,i therefore acknowledge the tender little glow of health induced by reading1 as ,i sat here in the morning sun1 the flattering attention paid me by your gentleman of ready wreath and quick biography4 8,i cannot1 as ,i look at my improving self with daily satisfaction1 really believe it all2 still it has helped to do me good4 ,and it is with almost sorrow that ,i must beg you1 perhaps1 to put back into its pigeon-hole1 for later on1 this present summary1 and replace it with something preparatory--which1 doubtless1 you have also ready4 8,this will give you time1 moreover1 for some correction1--if really it be worth while4 ,but certainly the #8,little ,white ,girl1' which was not rejected at the ,salon of '#fc1 was1 ,i am forced to say1 not #8inspired by the following lines of ,swinburne1' for the one simple reason that those lines were only written1 in my studio1 after the picture was painted4 ,and the writing of them was a rare and graceful tribute from the poet to the painter--a noble recognition of one work by the production of a nobler one4 8,again1 of #8the many tales concerning the hanging1 at the ,academy1 of the well-known portrait of the artist's mother1 now at the ,luxembourg1' one is true--let us trust your gentleman may have time to find it out--that ,i may correct it4 ,i surely may always hereafter rely on the ,morning ,post to see that no vulgar ,woking joke reach me4 8,it is my marvellous privilege1 then1 to come back1 as who should say1 while the air is still warm with appreciation1 affection1 and regret1 and to learn in how little ,i had offended4 8,the continuing to wear my own hair and eyebrows1 after distinguished confrres and eminent persons had long ceased their habit1 has1 ,i gather1 clearly given pain4 ,this1 ,i see1 is much remarked on4 ,it is even found inconsiderate and unseemly in me1 as hinting at affectation4 8,i might beg you1 sir1 to find a pretty place for this1 that ,i would make my #8apology1' containing also promise1 in years to come1 to lose these outer signs of vexing presumption4 8,protesting1 with full enjoyment of its unmerited eulogy1 against your premature tablet1 ,i ask you again to contradict it1 and appeal to your own sense of kind sympathy when ,i tell you ,i learn that ,i have1 lurking in ,london1 still #8a friend'--though for the life of me ,i cannot remember his name4 8,and ,i have1 sir1 the honor to be 8,j4 ,,mcneill ,,whistler40 ,in the spring of #aijc1 only a few months before his death1 three of his pictures were withdrawn from the annual exhibition of the ,society of ,american ,artists in ,new ,york4 ,they had not been sent in by him1 but loaned by the owner upon the understanding they would be given the prominence which he thought ,whistler's work deserved4 ,in the absence of the owner in ,europe the whole matter was left in charge of a member of the society1--a well-known artist1--who1 when he saw where the committee had placed the little pictures1 promptly withdrew them1 and notified the owner of his action1 which was approved4 ,whistler learned of the matter1 and wrote the following letter3 8,,dear ,,mr4 ,l---- 3 ,i have just learned with distress that my canvases have been a trouble and a cause of thought to the gentlemen of the hanging committee4 8,pray present to them my compliments and my deep regrets4 8,i fear also that this is not the first time of simple and good-natured intrusion1--#8looking in1' as who should say1 with beaming fellowship and crass camaraderie upon the highly-finished table and well-seated guests1--to be kindly and swiftly shuffled into some further respectable place1 that all be well and hospitality endure4 8,promise1 then1 for me1 that ,i have learned and that this #8shall not occur again4' ,and1 above all1 do not allow a matter of colossal importance to ever interfere with the afternoon habit of peace and good will and the leaf of the mint so pleasantly associated with this society4 8,i could not be other than much affected by your warm and immediate demonstration1 but ,i should never forgive myself were the consequences of lasting vexation to your distinguished confrres1 and1 believe me1 dear ,mr4 ,l----1 very sincerely1 8,j4 ,,mcneill ,,whistler4 ,,london1 ,april #g1 #aijc4 ,to the end he worked with indefatigable energy1 save only those days and hours when he was compelled by exhaustion or by the physicians to rest4 ,work was a tonic to him1 and1 while painting1 the rebellious organs of his body were submissive to his genius4 ,he would forget himself when1 brush in hand1 he stood before a canvas4 99 99 99 99 99 ,during the spring of #aijc he had been far from well4 ,into ,may he worked1 but not regularly nor for long at a time4 ,in ,june he was quite ill1 and his friends were apprehensive2 but in the early part of ,july he began to gain1 so that he took long drives and planned resuming his work4 ,on the afternoon of ,july #af he was out for a drive and in the best of spirits1 with plans for the future that even a younger man could not hope to execute4 99 99 99 99 99 ,art1 the ever-youthful mistress of his life1 urged him on4 ,should he confess before her the ravages of years8 ,in dauntless enthusiasm1 in boundless ambition1 in spirit unsubdued he was still young4 ,he struggled to his feet and for the last time stood before the canvas1--the magic mirror from which he1 wizzard-like1 had evoked so many beautiful images2 he thought of the things he yet would do1 of lines that would charm for all time1 of colors that would play like the iridescent hues upon the surface of the shimmering sea1 of the wraith-like images of people which lurked in the depths of the canvas awaiting the touch of his wand to step forth in all their stately dignity and beauty4 ,and the soul of the master was filled with delight4 ,but the visions of beauty were shattered1 ,like forms of the mist they were scattered-- ,as bubbles are blown by a breath-- ,by the grim1 haunting spectre of ,death4 ,the tired body could not respond1 and there where he had worked1 on the afternoon of ,friday1 ,july #ag1 the great painter died4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on the following ,wednesday the funeral services were held in the old church at ,chelsea where he often went with his mother1 and he was buried beside her in the graveyard at ,chiswick4 8,we have then but to wait--until with the mark of the gods upon him--there come among us again the chosen--who shall continue what has gone before4 ,satisfied that1 even were he never to appear1 the story of the beautiful is already complete--hewn in the marbles of the ,parthenon--and broidered1 with the birds1 upon the fan of ,hokusai--at the foot of ,fusiyama40--,,whistler',s 8,ten o',clock40 ,,index ,illustration ,ajaccio1 #bha ,albany1 #cc ,allen1 ,sir ,william1 #ce ,america1 attitude towards1 #eb-ec2 desire to visit1 #bb2 trip to ,south ,america1 #bb-bc ,american appreciation1 #ae-ag2 art1 future of1 #fc-fd2 characteristics1 #fd-fe ,americanism1 ,whistler's1 #dg-dh ,ancestors1 #be-bh ,anecdotes and sayings1 as a teacher1 #bgg-bha2 attitude towards ,america1 #eb-ec2 authenticity of stories1 #ha-hb2 bailiff in the 8,white ,house10 #aab-aac2 ,balaam's ass1 #hd-he2 blue-and-white china1 #gj2 ,boer war1 #de2 ,carlyle portrait1 #abc2 colors and pigments used1 #gb-gc2 concerning a sitter1 #bch-bci2 concerning birth1 #bi2 concerning ,carlyle and ,miss ,alexander1 #aba2 concerning ,chicago1 #bg2 concerning each portrait1 #bda-bdb2 concerning his portraits1 #bee2 concerning poor lawyers1 #adh2 concerning purchasers1 #bfe-bff2 concerning sittings required1 #cj-ca2 continually polishing1 #hd-he2 ,dieppe1 #cd2 disintegration of the ,royal ,society of ,british ,artists1 #bah2 early days in ,paris1 #hf-hh2 early days in ,venice1 #ib-ie2 effacing an insult1 #dc2 falling down stairs1 #aad2 first money earned with brush1 #hj-ha2 ,henry ,james1 #he2 his umbrella1 #bbg2 ,hogarth1 #ee2 house-painters1 #bab2 late to dinner1 #bi-cj2 ,leighton1 #hb-hd2 in lithography suit1 #ajc2 man whose coat did not fit1 #db2 8,nana10 #aea-aec2 ,napoleon and ,i1 #bha2 ,nature looking up1 #bad2 necktie of a sitter1 #aia2 no artistic period1 #gc-gh2 old ,delft1 #ga2 painting in the dark1 #bad2 8,peacock ,room10 #abi2 of ,peter the ,great1 #ce2 railway accident1 #cc-cd2 rebuking an admirer1 #afb2 rich man's house1 #ef2 ,rossetti1 #aaa2 ,royal ,academy1 #aaf-aai2 ,savoy ,hotel1 #aha2 school1 #fa2 selling his pictures1 #bgd-bge2 ,stoeckl dinner1 #dj-da2 story of 8,the ,yellow ,buskin10 #aai-abj2 studio on ground floor1 #bbi2 the arrangement in gray1 #aid2 the color of a critic's clothes1 #aie2 the grocer's shop1 #aic-aid2 the millionaire1 #bgf2 the model and the red background1 #bhj2 the pupil who smoked1 #bgi2 the republic and ,whistler1 #bha2 the ,ruskin trial1 #add-adg2 the studio stove1 #bca2 to the ,prince of ,wales1 #bag2 trip to ,valparaiso1 #bb-bc2 unwelcome callers at studio1 #bbh2 visit of students to his studio1 #acd-ace2 8warm personal enemy10 #aef2 ,west ,point1 #cf2 while in service of ,coast and ,geodetic ,survey1 #cg-da ,angelo1 ,michael1 #bec ,appearance and characteristics1 #cf2 alertness1 #he2 a poser1 #adi-aee2 approachable1 except in studio1 #bbg-bbh2 as a story-teller1 #bbd2 at home1 #bbb2 attitude towards art and artists1 #abb2 attitude towards nature1 #bac-baf2 attitude towards other artists1 #ef2 attitude towards purchasers1 #bfe-bgb2 attitude towards the ,royal ,academy1 #aae-aai2 careless about keeping list of works1 #ij2 courage1 #db-dc2 dilatory habits1 #cg-da2 dress when a young man1 #da-db2 ,george ,moore's theory1 #afh-agb2 his ,americanism1 #dg-gh2 his dislikes and prejudices1 #bga-bgb2 laugh1 #aai2 military spirit1 #de-df2 no commercial instinct1 #aaa2 no mystery about his art1 #ajf-ajh2 on the street1 #bbf2 ,puritan element1 #di-ej2 refinement1 #ej2 sense of humor1 #hb2 superstitions1 #dd2 susceptibility to color intervals1 #aia-aie2 ,west ,point1 #dd2 when twenty1 #ch-dj ,art1 abstract use of color1 #baa2 and physique1 #afh-agb2 early love for1 #ce2 harmonies in line1 #ahb2 his paintings and poetry1 #ahb2 of pure line1 #ahj-aha2 ,oriental1 #agf2 purely sensuous1 #ahj ,artistic period1 #gc-gh ,autograph character of work1 #aje-ajf ,balcony10 8,the1 #eh ,baptism1 #cb ,baronet vs4 ,the ,butterfly1 #bff-bgj ,beauties of form and color1 #ahe-ahf ,beethoven1 #beg2 relation to1 #agf ,birth1 #bh-bi1 #ca-cb ,boston1 proposed exhibition of pictures1 #bj ,bouguereau1 #bgg ,boxall1 ,sir ,william1 #ec-ed ,brothers and sisters1 #cb ,burne-,jones1 #agf2 ,ruskin trial1 #adf ,carlyle1 #aai2 and ,froude1 #abb-abc2 as a friend1 #aba-abb ,catalogues1 #afg-afh1 #bfe2 of exhibition in #ahib1 #afj-afa2 of lithographs1 #ajd4 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,w4 ,l4 ,b4 ,jenney1 in the ,american ,architect1 ,january #a1 #ahih4 #i ,wedmore1 ,fine ,prints1 p4 #ajc4 #aj ,wedmore's ,catalogue1 pp4 #ai-bj4 #aa ,printed by ,h4 ,wunderlich ,co41 ,new ,york4 #ab ,w4 ,s4 ,adams1 in the ,springfield ,republican4 #ac ,mc,clure's ,magazine1 vol4 vii4 p4 #cgd4 #ad ,knowledge1 ,april #e1 #ahhc1 p4 #bjh4 #ae ,the ,academy1 ,february #bd1 #ahhc1 p4 #aci4 #af ,knowledge1 ,april #f1 #ahhc1 pp4 #bjh1 #bji4 #ag ,owned by ,frank ,gair ,macomber1 ,esq41 of ,boston4 #ah ,gentle ,art1 p4 #aaf4 #ai ,life of ,carlyle1 ,first ,forty ,years1 vol4 ii41 pp4 #cde-f4 #bj ,mc,clure's ,magazine1 vol4 vii4 p4 #cgd4 #ba ,mc,clure's ,magazine1 vol4 vii4 p4 #cgd4 #bb ,g4 ,w4 ,smalley1 in the ,london ,times4 ,reprinted in the ,new ,york ,tribune1 ,august #ai1 #aijc4 #bc ,harper's ,weekly1 ,august #a1 #aijc4 #bd ,library ,gazette1 ,may #ad1 #ahdb p4 #cca4 #be ,athenum1 ,may #ad1 #ahdb1 p4 #dcc4 #bf ,see opening paragraph of ,chapter ,,ii4 of the first and second editions of the first volume of 8,modern ,painters40 #bg ,john ,ruskin1 by ,spielmann1 p4 #cd4 #bh ,modern ,painters1 vol4 iii41 chap4 xvii41 paragraph #ah4 #bi ,saturday ,review1 ,march #bf1 #ahib1 p4 #ceg4 #cj ,moore1 ,modern ,painting1 p4 #f4 #ca ,the ,critic1 vol4 xxxviii4 p4 #cb1 ,january1 #aija4 #cb ,gentle ,art1 p4 #abf4 #cc ,gentle ,art1 pp4 #abg1 #abh4 #cd ,ibid41 p4 #abh4 #ce ,helmholtz1 ,sensations of ,tone1 p4 #bfe4 #cf ,fleming1 ,waves and ,ripples in ,water1 ,air1 and ther1 p4 #beb4 #cg ,physiological ,optics1 p4 #bcg4 #ch ,modern ,painters1 vol4 i41 part ii41 sec4 i41 chap4 v41 par4 #c4 #ci ,modern ,painters1 vol4 i41 part ii41 sec4 i41 chap4 v41 par4 #h1 #i4 #dj ,ibid41 sec4 ii41 chap4 ii41 par4 #ab4 #da ,modern ,painters1 vol4 i41 part ii41 sec4 ii41 chap4 ii41 par4 #ag1 #bj4 #db ,gentle ,art1 p4 #abh4 #dc ,gentle ,art1 pp4 #adc1 #add4 #dd ,gentle ,art1 p4 #adc4 #de ,london ,times1 ,july #ah1 #aijc4 #df ,gentle ,art1 pp4 #agg1 #agh4 #dg ,e4 ,s4 ,crawford1 in ,the ,reader1 ,september1 #aijc4 #dh ,see page #ahe4