Nocturne_ Blue and Gold¡ªSouthampton Water

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¡°Art should be independent of all clap-trap¡ªshould stand alone and appeal to the artistic sense of eye or ear,¡± said the iconoclastic painter James McNeill Whistler. Born in the United States, Whistler spent most of his adult life in Paris and London. To emphasize that his paintings have no narrative overtones¡ªthat instead they are aesthetic arrangements of color and shape on flat surfaces¡ªhe gave them titles derived from music, such as ¡°arrangements,¡± ¡°symphonies,¡± and ¡°nocturnes.¡± One of his first such paintings, ¡°Nocturne Blue and Gold¡ªSouthampton Water¡± depicts a hazy, moonlit night on an inlet of the English Channel, southwest of London. Although the work is based on his experience of the location, the specifics of place are inconsequential to it. Instead, Whistler was interested in the subtle harmony of shades of blue, punctuated by touches of gold. By blurring and obscuring the shapes of the distant boats, he made color and form the primary focus of the painting. Often misunderstood and at times openly ridiculed when they were first exhibited, Whistler¡¯s luminous nocturnal visions were forerunners of the experiments in abstraction that would follow in the next century. Title Nocturne Blue and Gold¡ªSouthampton Water Creator James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834¨C1903) Creator Lifespan 1834/1903 Date Created 1872 Physical Dimensions 50.5 ¡Á 76 cm (19 7/8 ¡Á 29 15/16 in.) Type Painting Media Oil on canvas Credit Line The Art Institute of Chicago, Stickney Fund, 1900.52 Artist James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834¨C1903) Show more