7. James Abbott MacNeil Whistler, 1834-1903
Portrait of My Mother:
Arrangement in Gray and Black
The American Impressionist
James Whistler attempted make a statement with his
title for this picture: "Arrangement in Gray
and Black." However, the world has showered
this painting with affection, making it one of the
most universally beloved of all works of art. The
public created and bestowed its popular designation
of Whistler's Mother. Artists viewing the original
after long familiarity with reproductions are surprised
to see the thinness of the paint film; only the
head and hands carry any impasto. The wall and floor
are rendered with washes of diluted paint.
Conceived as a two-dimensional
design, and executed in a severe monochrome, the
painting nonetheless portrays its human subject
with genuine tenderness and emotion. The world has
loved the artist's mother more than the painter's
"arrangement in gray and black." |
Musée d'Orsay,
Paris
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sanden
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