"Arrangement in Grey: Portrait of the Painter," James
McNeill Whistler, 1872. Oil on canvas courtesy of The Detroit
Institute of Arts.
One Hundred Years of Whistler
By Stephen May
This year marks the centennial of the death of James McNeill
Whistler (1834-1903), the American-born expatriate painter,
printmaker, designer, wit, dandy, champion of aestheticism and
forerunner of Modernism. A spate of exhibitions in this country
and abroad are commemorating the occasion with diverse displays
of his art and influence.
A publicity-seeking gadfly and artistic provocateur par
excellence, Whistler was arguably the most misunderstood artist
of his day. Although he has been the subject of numerous books
and scholarly studies, he remains an enigma, a gifted and
innovative artist whose reputation as an over-the-top personality
continues to obscure his significant accomplishments and his
important impact on the art world.
The lineup of 2003 Whistler exhibitions -- and the accompanying
scholarship -- suggest that with the remove of a century from his
idiosyncratic persona, overdue attention is being focused on his
serious dedication to his work, his genuine achievements as an
artist and his influence as an exhibition designer.
The son of a civil engineer, Whistler first saw the light of day
in Lowell, Mass., where his birthplace, a comfortable wooden
structure at 243 Worthen Street, is now the Whistler House
Museum. It is filled with artifacts and artwork, including a
letter from the artist's father announcing his son's birth, a
portrait of his father facing a life-size oil copy of Whistler's
celebrated likeness of his mother, and a room of fine Whistler
etchings. The house is maintained by the Lowell Art Association
and open to the public.
