James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) stands out as one of the most influential artists in modern art history. His contributions to the history of prints are noteworthy. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Whistler liked to tell people he from St. Petersburg, Russia; his father was an American civil engineer who consulted on railroad construction for the Czar. After being thrown out of West Point for poor study habits, the young artist took a detour to work as a cartographer for western survey expeditions before moving permanently to Europe. Once in Paris, Whistler became ensconced in progressive art circles where he befriended Edouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, Charles Baudelaire, Henri Fantin-Latour, Félix Bracquemond, and Alphonse Legros, among many other leading artists and poets. Like many of these vanguard figures, Whistler was drawn to non-academic models as sources for new imagery. He was inspired by Japanese aesthetics, including examples of ukiyo-e, which became an important part of his larger creative repertoire.

Whistler moved to London in 1859. There he furthered his investigation of etching techniques, mentored by his brother-in-law, Seymour Haden. His painting practice continued alongside his printmaking and by the 1870s he was in high demand as a moody portraitist with a flair for balancing dramatic light effects and aesthetic restraint. Music was another important source of inspiration for Whistler. Works like Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother (1871) and Nocturne in Black and Gold--The Falling Rocket (1872-77) were widely discussed, and often parodied. Whistler suffered publicly for his art. After being mocked by the John Ruskin for “flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face,” he sued the English art critic for libel. A court agreed with Whistler but awarded him a farthing for damages. The virtues of “art for art’s sake” were clearly not shared by everyone in the late 19th century. Whistler continued to make experimental prints throughout his long career.

The University of San Diego mounted a memorable loan exhibition, Atmospheres in Ink: Whistler and the Etching Revival during the fall of 2011. At that time, no works by Whistler were part of our permanent print collection.