Arrangement in Grey
and Black No.1
(Whistler's Mother)
by James McNeill
Whistler
Oil on Canvas
1871
Close Read
Observations
1. The Mother is staring forward.
2. The Mother has good posture.
3. The Mother has long legs.
4. The curtains have a japanese pattern to it.
5. The mother has light blush on her cheeks.
6. The floors are wooden.
7. There is a picture hanging behind the
Mother.
8. The Mother looks very calm.
James Abbott McNeill
Whistler
James Whistler (July 10, 1834 - July 17, 1903) was an
American artist and was most popular in the United
Kingdom.
His paintings were very subtle and soft.
His signature was a butterfly with a long stinger as a
tail that represented his personality.
Has over 500 paintings that include watercolor,
pastels, lithographs, drawings, and more.
Inspired from Japanese art and ancient Greek
sculptures.
In 1940, he was put on the United States Postage
stamp.
His work is in major museums and exhibits and is
buried at St. Nicholas Church in Chiswick.
Arrangement in Oil on canvas
Grey and Black 1871
No.1 (Whistler's 56.81 by 63.94 inches
One of the most famous paintings made by an
Mother) American artist but created outside the U.S.
Anna Mcneill Whistler is the subject, she posed
in her house in London.
It is said that the Mother was filling in for a
model who didnt make it in time.
It is also said that the Mother was the original
model and James Whistler envisioned his
painting with her standing up, but she
couldnt stand for an extended amount of
time.
Whistlers Mother also received her own stamp.
10 Questions
Why is the Mother staring ahead?
Why is she sitting down?
Where is this room in the house?
What is the painting in the background
represent?
Why is the Mothers feet elevated?
Is the Mother really tall?
Why is there a Japanese curtain?
Why is there barely any color in the painting?
Arrangement in Grey and Black,
No. 2: Portrait of Thomas Carlyle
Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 2 (1872-1873 oil
painting) was drawn James McNeill Whistler. It was meant to
be similar to Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, and the
subject is Thomas Carlyle. Whistler had Thomas Carlyle to sit
down and have a coat on his legs all to represent his previous
painting, Whistlers Mother. The most obvious difference from
the two paintings is the more bright features No. 2 withholds,
the detail into Carlyles coat, and his head positioned more to
face the audience. This shows how his first painting inspired
him to do similar ones.
Arrangement in
Yellow and Gray:
Effie Deans
1876 - 1878
Arrangement in Yellow and Gray by James
Whistler.
Oil on canvas.
Contrasting to the last two paintings, she is
standing up.
Effie Deans is a character in The Heart of
Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott.
Inspired by the story of Effie Deans and
decided to draw a painting on her tragic
fate.
Bibliography
(n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from http://www.jamesabbottmcneillwhistler.org/
James Abbott McNeill Whistler. (2017, April 17). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Abbott_McNeill_Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. (n.d.). Retrieved
April 26, 2017, from
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-whistler-james-abbott-mcneill.htm
Whistler's Mother. (2017, April 25). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%27s_Mother
Whistler, James Abbott McNeill. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from
https://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/whistler/effie-deans.html
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