Month: January 2019

Art for art’s sake: James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Aesthete. Idiosyncratic charmer who had a habit of making enemies. Sometimes friend of Oscar Wilde’s. Sometimes impressionist, sometimes advocate of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. James Abbott McNeill Whistler had a large range of sources and reformed his style many times throughout his career. But what makes his art so appealing to this day?

Like so many American artists of the late 19th century, Whistler felt drawn to Europe. Due to his father’s work, he spent many years in various countries during his youth, including Russia and the United Kingdom. After moving to Paris in 1855 to study art, he never returned to the United States.

Although he travelled across Europe multiple times and sought inspiration from various locations, his heart always seemed to be drawn to London. Consequently, he painted many of his most famous works there, undoubtedly inspired by the variety of artistic movements working in London around that time.

Despite the range of sources he took for inspiration, many critics place him firmly within the aestheticist camp. As such, he firmly believed in the gospel of doing ‘art for art’s sake’ and befriended many prominent decadents, among them Oscar Wilde – but he also had a habit of making enemies. After a lecture by Wilde, Whistler believed the dandy was poking fun at him, resulting in a lasting feud. Allegedly Basil, the painter who is murdered in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, is partly an ironic depiction of Whistler.

Not only an aestheticist

But Whistler was also acquainted with artists from other schools, such as the Impressionists (Monet, Manet and Degas), the Pre-Raphaelites (Dante Gabriel Rossetti), the French symbolists (Stephane Mallarme and Marcel Schwob), and many more. This culminated in a style which is idiosyncratic, fascinating, and unquestionably his.

Unlike the typical focus on high realism of his contemporaries, Whistler always emphasised the impression of art and believed that all art should strive towards the conditions of music. Hence, many of his paintings are titled with terms from music theory – such as nocturne or symphony.

Whistler emphasised simplicity and the economy of means, the importance of technique, and harmony. He insisted that the artist should interpret what he saw rather than depict it ‘as it is’. He was also a strong theorist, publishing a range of material on art theory and advocating his vision to the best possible degree.

But it won’t do to discuss an artist in theory, so here are three of his Nocturnes which I find particularly engaging. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Nocturne: Blue and Silver – Chelsea

This is the first of Whistler’s popular Nocturnes, painted in 1871. Rather than depicting a realistic vision of the Thames, he tried to capture the overwhelming beauty of the Thames by night. By titling it ‘nocturne’ he separated the work from any sense of subjectivity it may have had from the painter and makes it entirely artistic through his use of technique.

The view shows a section of Chelsea with Chelsea Old Church on the right. The details are kept to a bare minimum, and yet it unquestionably evokes the sense of the river and the night time. You get a sense that the city never really sleeps, as indicated by the individual lights which brave the otherwise pervading grey and blue of the scene.

Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket

This slightly later painting from 1875 depicts the Cremorne Gardens, one of the old pleasure gardens which have since closed their gates. It is the final of the London Nocturnes and displays a firework display in a foggy night sky, again with little detail but individual streaks of light breaking the otherwise dark palette.

Through the lack of clear lines, Whistler makes it difficult for us to distinguish between the individual aspects of the painting, but his use of light, shades and especially the smoke nevertheless marks out the general layout. You feel a slight sense of bleakness as you look upon the painting with its dark colours, but the surprising explosion of the rockets wakes you to a moment of realising the beauty of the scene.

Nocturne: Blue and Gold – Old Battersea Bridge

Here we have another Nocturne from the period around 1872-1875, this time of the Battersea Bridge across the Thames. Sadly, the bridge has now been replaced by a more modern one. Whistler is more interested in detail, so it is possible to make out the Chelsea Old Church on the left and the fireworks in the background.

Again, the dark palette makes the entire scene feel tranquil and quiet, if it wasn’t for the firework display. The fisher in the foreground seems to be going quietly about his business and the Thames is generally surrounded by an aura of solitude. It demonstrates the diversity of the city – some people are still awake to celebrate with fireworks, whereas others are quietly starting their daily labour. The whole painting, as such, oozes atmosphere and invites you to spend the night time roaming around the Thames yourself.

Closing thoughts

As you can see, with Whistler you can often find paintings depicting one area and one time of day, with similar moods, which yet all tell their own story and give a different aspect of one big picture. I hope you find him as engaging as I do, and that you found this article informative. Do you have anything to add, any personal impression about the artist or his work? Then please leave a comment. Otherwise, why not share it on social media? Then please click on one of the tender buttons below.

Why reading is important

You may have noticed that I have a thing for reading. If you are just starting out and want to know some of the benefits or wish to convert someone with a book-o-phobia of reading, you may want to find justification in the following text.

First of all, Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful festive season and were able to relax with your loved ones. To start off 2019 with a lightweight and yet important topic, I would like to discuss some of the most important reasons why you should start reading.

I mean, many people talk about the importance of it – but why exactly? What concrete benefits do we get when we indulge in a book? After all, in a quickly changing world where technology offers instantaneous entertainment and pleasure, one needs to know why one should dedicate so much time to a hobby which will take longer to deliver.

Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of some of the most important reasons to read. Without much further ado, here we go!

Reading can teach you things

This should be obvious, but reading can teach you a whole range of things. Even in fiction, you may be confronted with details as to how particular things are done, or it may give you a metaphorical representation of real-life situations you may find useful to read about ‘in theory’.

The reason why reading is an effective method to learn stuff is because it forces you to slow down and concentrate. Rather than half-listening to a lecture or falling asleep while watching a documentary, your brain is active as you decipher the meaning of a given text in front of you. Furthermore, while reading you learn ‘alongside’, i.e. without searching for the knowledge, you nevertheless get it, which can stick in your brain much more effortlessly.

Reading improves your use of language

Another obvious one but reading greatly improves your language use – not just in terms of vocabulary, but also in grammar, style and, syntax. You learn new words and new ways of forming sentences and thus get to know the whole potential of any given language.

Considering we read, write and speak every day of our lives, this is obviously incredibly important. If your articulation is more impressive and comes across as more elegant, you are bound to have more success in life than if you utter strange guttural sounds whenever someone asks you for something.

Reading helps you focus and concentrate

Ironically, one of the main reasons some people dislike reading is also one of its main benefits: focus and concentration. Unlike films where you can just switch off (although you may lose touch and not find your way in), books require your undivided attention.

Regular reading will train your brain to attain and maintain focus. By staring at a page and watching how words form sentences and create a whole story, you are teaching yourself to remain sturdy and concentrate on what you are reading. These are skills increasingly lost in our tech-driven world.

Reading encourages your creativity

Reading enhances your ability to think creatively and rekindles your imagination. This is based on the fact that words are, well, just words, rather than concrete sounds or images. But as the text forms a story (in fiction, at least), your imagination creates an entire world in your mind.

‘So what’, I hear you say? Well, thinking creatively and using your imagination is another key skill required during your entire life. Problem-solving skills, abstraction, thinking ‘outside the box’ are all linked to your creative intelligence. And reading will help you!

Reading is cheap and fun entertainment

For those who are already into reading it may seem more obvious than to newcomers, but reading is unbelievably entertaining – and also unbelievably cheap. Buying books second-hand or borrowing them from the library are only two ways to get hours of entertainment for little or nothing.

In our day and age when we have access to the internet, free or cheap reading material is even more abundant. Getting tired while reading on-screen? Then buy an ebook-reader – they are comparatively cheap and imitate the feeling of reading a printed book. There’s really no excuse; reading has never been cheaper than now.

Reading can provide room for bonding

You know how people bond over similar interests, like smokers always seem to hang out together? Well, the same can be said for readers. But instead of asking what films you’ve seen recently, you can now discuss your newest finds in the world of literature.

Talking about books with your peers is great exercise for your mind. Not only are you practicing your memory, but you are also gaining a greater understanding of the book through your conversation partner’s approach to it.

Closing thoughts

As you can see, the benefits of reading are manifold. There are virtually no downsides to picking up a book and indulging in this great pastime. Just make sure not to lose yourself completely when you get addicted and forget to live.

Did you enjoy the article? Know of any other good reasons to read? Then why not leave a comment in the section below? Otherwise, why not share it on the social media of your choice? Then click on one of the tender buttons below.