The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler
M.0211
An artist in his studio
Date
An artist in his studio dates from 1855/1856.
An artist in his studio, Freer Gallery of Art
It is fully catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 211).
Images
An artist in his studio, Freer Gallery of Art
Subject
Sitter
An artist in his studio, Freer Gallery of Art
This is not a self-portrait, but appears to illustrate Whistler's idea of what an artist might look like. MacDonald comments:
'Whistler was an attractive boy with elfin features and curly hair.... A similar child appears in a dream-like composition by Whistler of an artist surrounded by technical aids and puppet-like mannequins in life-like poses. An effeminate figure, wearing an embroidered jumper over narrow trousers, he appears deep in thought rather than action, but the straw hat and crossed swords on the wall hint at alternative, masculine, activities. A book on Henry Fuseli on the floor suggests an ironic take on romantic artistic genius.' 1
Technique
Technique
An artist in his studio, Freer Gallery of Art
See MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 211).
History
Provenance
- 1906: bought from Knoedler's, New York dealers, by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919), Detroit;
- 1919: bequeathed to the Freer Gallery of Art.
The earlier provenance is unknown.
Exhibitions
It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.
Bibliography
Catalogues Raisonnés
- MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 211) as 'An artist in his studio'.
Books on Whistler
- Curry, David Park, James McNeill Whistler: Uneasy Pieces, New York, 2004, p. 223, fig. 6.3.
- Merrill, Linda, A Pot of Paint: Aesthetics on Trial in 'Whistler v. Ruskin', Washington and London, 1992, p. 21, fig. 8.
Catalogues 1906-Present
- Curry, David Park, James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art, New York and London, 1984, pp. 13, 123, 210, pl. 147.
Journals 1906-Present
- MacDonald, Margaret F., 'James McNeill Whistler: An Artist on Artists', in: Visual Culture in Britain, vol. 16, Issue 2, 2015, pp. 200-22, Taylor and Francis Online, DOI: 10.1080/14714787.2015.1038437, repr. fig. 1.
Websites
- Freer Gallery of Art website at https://asia.si.edu/object/F1906.104.
Notes:
1: MacDonald 2015 [more], repr. fig. 1, Taylor and Francis website.