Case Study-James McNeill Whistler

James McNeill Whistler (July 11th 1834 - July 17th 1903) was born in Lowell, Massachusetts America but he would later be based in England later on in his life. In his youth, his family travelled a lot due to his father's work as a rail road engineer. Living in St. Petersburg, Russia and London, his mother hoped for him to be a minister, but realising he was in the wrong career he applied to US Military Academy at West Point. However this was not a successful career move as he fought against authority. He became a draftsman mapping the US Coastilne, but becoming bored, he doodled in the map margins. However, during this time he learned the etching technique. He went on to study art in Paris in 1855.

Whistler used the Realism style and painted a wide range of subjects from portraits to landscapes. He particularly took inspiration from landscapes where there was fog or mist. However, his most famous painting was "Arrangement in Grey & Black Number 1", commonly known as "Whistler's Mother".

The main subject matter of his work varied between portraits and landscapes. His landscapes concentrated mainly on seascapes and water, especially with fog and mist.


1.) Black Lion Wharf, Wapping (1859)
This is a lino cut showing the wharf and the men working on the boats and quayside. The jumble of buildings in the background suggest hustle and bustle, but the man in the foreground is resting and makes us wonder if he has finished work or is preparing to start working.


2.)Nocturn (1878)
This painting shows the city in the background and a figure on a boat on either the river or the sea. The city reflected in the water but as it is night time the reflection is faint. There is a feeling of isolation as the figure in the boat is seperated from the city.

The mood in Black Lion Wharf is one of activity, but the figure at the front is inactive, although we feel he is ready to start work. In Nocturn it seems lonely and desolate as the figure in the foreground is working alone in what seems to be a grey, foggy night.

Whilst Whistler was an artist of  the school of realism he brings aspects of semi abstract artwork where scenery and figures are blurred and have no clear definition.

Whistler may have been of the realism school of art, he painted with brutal honesty believing in the term "art for art's sake". He avoided and sentimentality of softness in his work, but rather, painted exactly what he saw.