=Questions to arouse interest.= What is the name of this picture? Who
painted it? Half close your eyes and tell what part of the picture
stands out most distinctly. Which part should be most distinct? (The
figure, especially the head, holds the center of interest.) From this
glimpse of her, describe the character and disposition of Whistler’s
mother as you would judge them to be. Give reasons. What would make you
think she was neat and orderly? Where is she sitting? How is she
dressed? What can you see in the background?
=Original Picture=: Luxembourg Gallery, Paris, France.
=Artist=: James McNeill Whistler.
=Birthplace=: Lowell, Massachusetts.
=Dates=: Born, 1834; died, 1903.
=The story of the picture.= Whistler called this picture “An Arrangement
in Gray and Black,” for he felt that the public could not be interested
in a portrait of his mother. He said, “To me, it is interesting as a
picture of my mother; but what can or ought the public to care about the
identity of the portrait?” However, this knowledge of relationship has
appealed so strongly to the people that by common consent the picture
has been renamed by them, “Whistler’s Mother,” or “Portrait of the
Painter’s Mother,” or even “Portrait of My Mother.” Then again many
critics declare the picture might well be called “A Mother,” for it
represents a type rather than an individual. The face seems to speak to
each and every one of us in a language all can understand.
This dear old lady in her plain black dress, seated so comfortably with
her hands in her lap and her feet on a footstool, has an air of peace
and restfulness about her that is good to look upon. A feeling of
stillness and perfect quiet comes to us, and we do not at first realize
the skill of the artist in producing such an effect.
Seated in this restful gray room, she seems to be in a happy reverie of
the days gone by. The simple dignity of the thoughtful figure is
increased by the refinement of her surroundings. A single picture and
part of the frame of another hang on the gray wall behind her. At the
left we see a very dark green curtain hanging in straight folds, with
its weird Japanese pattern of white flowers.
All is gray and dull save the face. This contrast brings out its soft
warmth. The dark mass of the curtain with its severely straight vertical
lines, contrasted with the darker diagonal mass which represents the
figure of the mother, gives us a feeling of solemnity and reverence. The
severity of these dark masses is broken by the head and hands. The
dainty white cap with its suggestion of lace on the cap strings softens
the sweet face and relieves the glossy smoothness of her hair. In her
hands she holds a lace handkerchief which we can barely distinguish from
the lace on her cuffs. But the hands serve as an exquisite bit of light
to lead the eye back to the face, where we study again the calm and
tender dignity of the figure and the mysterious beauty of those
far-seeing eyes.
By this very simplicity, quiet, and repose, Whistler has made us feel
the love and reverence he has for his mother. He leaves us to guess what
the mother herself may be thinking as she looks back over the life now
past. With what reluctance she may have at first consented to pose for
her portrait, believing that this great, wonderful son of hers had
better choose some younger, fairer model, more responsive to his magic
brush! But when she found his heart was set upon painting her portrait,
she would hesitate no longer.
No doubt he knew just which dress he wished his mother to wear. We all
know the dress we like to see our own mother wear. Very likely Whistler
had planned the picture for days and knew exactly where he wished her to
sit and just how the finished portrait was to look. And the mother, with
her faith in her son’s talent, probably thought his wanting her picture
was only a token of his love for her, little realizing that this
portrait alone would make her son famous.
We are moved by the silence and reserve of this gentle lady to an
appreciation of the love, reverence, and respect that are her due.
Held at a distance, our reproduction of this picture seems to consist
merely of a black silhouette against a light gray wall. On closer
examination we soon discover two other values—that of the floor, which
is medium gray, and the darker mass of the curtain.
Whistler was so fond of gray that he always kept his studio dimly
lighted in order to produce that effect. His pictures are full of
suggestions rather than actual objects or details. In his landscapes all
is seen through a misty haze of twilight, early morning, fog, or rain.
They suggest rather than tell their story. He makes us think as well as
feel.
=Questions to help the pupil understand the picture.= What did Mr.
Whistler call this painting? Why was the name changed? What is it often
called? why? Which name seems the most appropriate to you? What colors
did the artist use? How many values are represented in this painting?
What are they? What can you say about the division of space in the
picture? of the light and shade? of the interior of the room?
=To the Teacher=: Tell about the picture and the artist, or have some
one pupil prepare the story and tell it to the class. This may be
followed by a written description of the picture and a short sketch of
the artist’s life by the class, given in connection with the English
composition work. These questions may be written upon the blackboard as
a guide or suggestion.
=The story of the artist.= Perhaps there never was a boy more fond of
playing practical jokes than James McNeill Whistler. For this reason he
made many enemies as well as friends, for you know that, although very
amusing in themselves, practical jokes are apt to offend.
But first we should know something about Whistler’s father and mother.
Of a family of soldiers, the father was a graduate of West Point
Military Academy, and became a major in the United States army. During
those peaceful days there was very little to keep an army officer busy,
so the government allowed its West Point graduates to aid in the
building of the railroads throughout the country. Civil engineers were
in great demand, and from a position as engineer on the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, Major Whistler became engineer to the Proprietors of
Locks and Canals at Lowell, Massachusetts. To Lowell, then a mere
village, Major Whistler brought his family, and here James was born.
Later the family moved to Stonington, Connecticut.
Whistler’s mother was a strict Puritan and brought up her son according
to Puritan beliefs. Their Sundays were quite different from ours at the
present day. They really began on Saturday night for little James, for
it was then that his pockets were emptied, all toys put away, and
everything made ready for the Sabbath. On that day the Bible was the
only book they were allowed to read.
When they lived in Stonington, they were a long distance from the church
and, as there were no trains on Sunday, the father placed the body of a
carriage on car wheels and, running it on the rails as he would a hand
car, he was able to take his family to church regularly. This ride to
church was the great event of the day for James.
James’s first teacher at school, though a fine man, had unfortunately a
very long neck. In his wish to hide this peculiarity he wore unusually
high collars. One day little James came in tardy, wearing a collar so
high it completely covered his ears. He had made it of paper in
imitation of the teacher’s. As he walked solemnly to his seat, the whole
school was in an uproar. James sat down and went about his work as if
unconscious both of commotion and of the angry glare of his teacher. It
was not many minutes before the indignant man rushed upon him and
administered the punishment he so richly deserved.
When James was nine years old the family moved to Russia. The Emperor
Nicholas I wished to build a railroad from the city of St. Petersburg
(now called Petrograd) to Moscow, and had sent all over Europe and
America in search of the best man to undertake this work, at last
choosing Major Whistler. It was a great honor, of course, and the salary
was twelve thousand dollars a year. Here the family lived in great
luxury until the father died. Then Mrs. Whistler brought her children
back to America to educate them.
When only four years old James had shown considerable talent for
drawing, but although his mother admired his sketches she always hoped
and planned that her son should become a soldier like his father. So at
the age of seventeen she sent him to West Point, where he remained three
years before he was discharged for failure in chemistry.
Although he had failed in most of his other studies, too, he stood at
the head of his class in drawing. He received much praise for the maps
he drew in his geography class, and some of them are still preserved.
Whistler himself tells us: “Had silicon been a gas, I would have been a
major general.” It was during an oral examination, after repeated
failures, that his definition, “Silicon is a gas,” finally caused his
dismissal.
Another story is told of his examination in history. His professor said,
“What! do you not know the date of the Battle of Buena Vista? Suppose
you were to go out to dinner and the company began to talk of the
Mexican War, and you, a West Point man, were asked the date of the
battle, what would you do?”
“Do?” said Whistler. “Why, I should refuse to associate with people who
could talk of such things at dinner.”
Whistler’s real name was James Abbott Whistler, but when he entered West
Point he added his mother’s name, McNeill. He did this because he knew
the habit at West Point of nicknaming students, and he feared the
combination of initial letters would suggest one for him, so he
substituted McNeill for Abbott. He was called Jimmie, Jemmie, Jamie,
James, and Jim.
The older he grew the more Whistler seemed to enjoy playing practical
jokes. Soon after he left West Point he was given a position in a
government office, but was so careless in his work he was discharged. As
he was going past his employer’s desk he caught sight of an unusually
large magnifying glass which that official used only on the most
important occasions and which was held in great awe by the employes.
Whistler quickly painted a little demon in the center of this glass. It
is said that when the official had occasion to use the great magnifying
glass again he hurriedly dropped it thinking he must be out of his head,
for all he could see was a wicked-looking demon grinning up at him.
When Whistler began to paint in earnest he was very successful, and soon
became the idol of his friends. In fact, the admiration of his friends
proved quite a misfortune, for it sometimes made him satisfied with poor
work. A friend coming in would find a half-completed picture on his
easel and go into raptures over it, saying, “Don’t touch it again. Leave
it just as it is!” Whistler, pleased and delighted, would say he guessed
it was rather good, and so the picture remained unfinished.
Many stories are told of the models he chose from the streets. Often
some dirty, ragged little child would find itself taken kindly by the
hand and led home to ask its mother whether it might pose for the great
artist. After some difficulty the mother would be persuaded to let the
child go just as it was, dirt and all. As soon as Whistler began to
paint, he usually forgot everything else and so at last the child would
cry out from sheer weariness. Then with a start of surprise Whistler
would say to his servant, “Pshaw! what’s it all about? Can’t you give it
something? Can’t you buy it something?” Needless to say, the child
always went home happy with toys and candy.
Whistler saw color everywhere, and he was especially quick to feel the
beauty of color combinations. The names of his paintings suggest that
this love of color was of first importance in his work, even before the
object or person studied. So we have “A Symphony in White,” “Rose and
Gold,” “Gray and Silver,” “A Note in Blue and Opal,” and “Green and
Gold.”
=Questions about the artist.= Of what nationality was the artist? What
was his father’s profession? What important positions did he hold? How
did the family observe Sunday? What was the great event of the day for
James McNeill Whistler? To what country did the family move? What
happened after the father’s death? Where was James sent to school? Why
did he fail? Why did he change his name? Tell about the position in the
government office and what happened there. How did praise and admiration
affect him? Name some of his best paintings.
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