Existing comment:
"Symphony in Green and Violet," ca 1868, by James McNeill Whistler, oil on canvas.
In the late 1860's, Whistler set out to forge a new style of painting for himself. Influenced by both Japanese woodblock prints and ancient Greek sculpture, he began to paint friezelike arrangements of figures clothed in brightly colored, loosely flowing gowns. Whistler never completed any of these paintings, and the most important surviving records of his intentions are studies like "Symphony in Green and Violet." Although originally conceived as experiments in color and design, Whistler believed that these sketches were among his most important aesthetic achievements. |