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James McNeill Whistler: Beyond the Myth
A major new biography examines both the life and work of the nineteenth-century painter, dispelling the usual portrait of an irascible dandy at war with critics and other artists, and assesses his reputation. 25,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 6, 2016
Whew, what an epic! The minute detail provided about Whistler's professional life overwhelms. This is probably the most thoroughly researched bio I've ever read, save a gap or two regarding his personal life. That said, I come away from this book not really liking the man on a personal level. Of course, this is based only on my personal prejudices. My overarching take away is that Whistler seems to have been quite a prima donna from an early age and that that aspect of his personality only worsened as he aged. His inability to handle criticism led to severed friendships and even a lawsuit or two, and to people failing to bend to his will...watch out! The fact that he took money from patrons for portraits he was sometimes never able to finish seems in my mind to make him more of a charlatan than the tortured artist he would have preferred to have been perceived to be. There was very little information provided in this huge book regarding the mistresses (Hiffernan & Franklin) who played such a big part in the 1st half of his career, and nothing at all was mentioned of 2 of his 3 illegitimate children. Once they left his light, it was almost as if they ceased to exist, which was probably the case in Whistler's mind, narcissist that he was. In any case, the man is still one of my favorite artists. I was able to visit his work at the VMFA and the American Art Museum during the period I was reading this book and I think that really added to my overall experience. Glad to have read this book, but also slightly relieve to be finished. I think need some mindless fiction now to cleanse my palate!
December 14, 2023
An informative account of Whistler's life; more chronology than art critique.
Born in 1834 in Massachusetts, Whistler left at age nine for Russia where his father had been hired as consulting railway engineer. The young Whistler enthusiastically received his first student art lessons there, though his fragile health led him to to periodically take refuge in England with his mother when outbreaks of flu and cholera swept through Russia.
When Whistler was fourteen, his father died after contracting cholera and the family moved back to the States. His mother discouraged his passion for art and used family connections to enroll him for officer training at West Point (a position for which he was not nominally qualified, given his poor school grades). When he proved a disastrous military recruit and was effectively expelled, his desire to train as an artist was accepted and he moved to Paris. From then on, Europe was his base, with an art career divided between Paris and London.
The biography provides a detailed accounting of Whistler's life, detailing his family ties, affairs with women, late-life marriage, art patrons, and complicated relations with fellow painters and writers.
On Whistler as artist...
Whistler was a versatile artist, working with etching, lithography, watercolors, and oils and covering landscapes, urban studies, and portraits. This book is not, however, a profound study of his artistic influences, his contributions to modernism, or the influences that he had on others. Indeed, the reader is left uncertain as to the importance of Whistler's contributions to art. His peers and colleagues, Manet, Monet, Degas, and others, are now firmly established in the art pantheon and their work remains fresh today. By contrast, Whistler and his "tonalist" followers seem very much dated to the late-C19th century. Anderson's concluding chapter makes the case that, while Whistler's reputation admittedly waned in the decades after his death, his influence remains pervasive. But having spent years researching a 400-page biography, could any author conclude otherwise?
...and as pain in the butt
Apart from Whistler's artistic talent, a striking personality trait was his insecurity, which drove him to respond savagely to any perceived slight, even imagined. Indeed, Whistler conducted public quarrels through vituperative letters to the press that matched the worst aspects of today's social media. Whistler seems to have relished these conflicts. His self-importance and desire for unquestioned social dominance lost him many friends and no doubt contributed to his life-long difficulty in finding respect as an artist in England.
Given Whistler's larger-than-life persona, a more punchy biography would have been welcome. Putting his difficult (almost toxic) personality more front-and-center would help shed light on his artistic reputation. Did his insecurity and social aggression effectively undermine his career as an artist? No revolutionary artist has it easy, but the challenges are even greater when the artist is permanently at war with the rest of the world.
Born in 1834 in Massachusetts, Whistler left at age nine for Russia where his father had been hired as consulting railway engineer. The young Whistler enthusiastically received his first student art lessons there, though his fragile health led him to to periodically take refuge in England with his mother when outbreaks of flu and cholera swept through Russia.
When Whistler was fourteen, his father died after contracting cholera and the family moved back to the States. His mother discouraged his passion for art and used family connections to enroll him for officer training at West Point (a position for which he was not nominally qualified, given his poor school grades). When he proved a disastrous military recruit and was effectively expelled, his desire to train as an artist was accepted and he moved to Paris. From then on, Europe was his base, with an art career divided between Paris and London.
The biography provides a detailed accounting of Whistler's life, detailing his family ties, affairs with women, late-life marriage, art patrons, and complicated relations with fellow painters and writers.
On Whistler as artist...
Whistler was a versatile artist, working with etching, lithography, watercolors, and oils and covering landscapes, urban studies, and portraits. This book is not, however, a profound study of his artistic influences, his contributions to modernism, or the influences that he had on others. Indeed, the reader is left uncertain as to the importance of Whistler's contributions to art. His peers and colleagues, Manet, Monet, Degas, and others, are now firmly established in the art pantheon and their work remains fresh today. By contrast, Whistler and his "tonalist" followers seem very much dated to the late-C19th century. Anderson's concluding chapter makes the case that, while Whistler's reputation admittedly waned in the decades after his death, his influence remains pervasive. But having spent years researching a 400-page biography, could any author conclude otherwise?
...and as pain in the butt
Apart from Whistler's artistic talent, a striking personality trait was his insecurity, which drove him to respond savagely to any perceived slight, even imagined. Indeed, Whistler conducted public quarrels through vituperative letters to the press that matched the worst aspects of today's social media. Whistler seems to have relished these conflicts. His self-importance and desire for unquestioned social dominance lost him many friends and no doubt contributed to his life-long difficulty in finding respect as an artist in England.
Given Whistler's larger-than-life persona, a more punchy biography would have been welcome. Putting his difficult (almost toxic) personality more front-and-center would help shed light on his artistic reputation. Did his insecurity and social aggression effectively undermine his career as an artist? No revolutionary artist has it easy, but the challenges are even greater when the artist is permanently at war with the rest of the world.
December 21, 2017
Interesting, but too many factoids led to some skimming.
Could have been a shorter book.
Could have been a shorter book.
December 8, 2009
Mostly very good, and I would have probably given it 4 stars if it were not for the section written by Koval. That section did not seem to mesh with the rest of the book. I was especially disappointed in this section as it dealt with the period of the Nocturnes and only gave the cursory attention except in relation to the Ruskin trial. The Nocturnes are my favorite of Whistler's works, and I was really looking for a more in depth discussion of them. In spite of this 100+ page section, this is still an excellent biography.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews