Pictures of the Month | January 2012 
Picture of the Month
January 2012
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834 - 1903)
Symphony in White, No. III
London, 1865-7
Oil and Canvas
Purchased 1939 (No. 39.24)
I am always drawn, every time I visit, to the beauty and serenity of Whistler’s Symphony in White, No. III. It provokes in me a sense of reflection and wistful daydream. It makes me take the time in this busy world to simply stop and think.
Natasha Oughtred, Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal
This painting is a fine example of the cult of aestheticism, which preoccupied many painters in Britain in the 1860s. Whistler was a proponent of its bohemian creed ‘art for art’s sake’, an idea that defined the nature of artistic debate in the second half of the 19th century.
Originally from Massachusetts, USA, Whistler travelled across Europe before settling in England in 1859. Many contemporary artists concerned themselves with the moral or sentimental meaning of their works. Yet Whistler cared little for narrative: his paintings were exercises in technical delicacy, tonality and aestheticism. His work was initially derided by the artistic élite as slapdash and vulgar. A notoriously fiery character, he responded to his critics forcefully, and even sued art critic John Ruskin for defamation.
Symphony in White, No. III was first exhibited in 1867 at the Royal Academy and was praised by Edgar Degas, among other artists. In it, pink, white and grey hues come together in swirling brushstrokes that are both rapid and delicate. The pastel tones are alluded to in the title term ‘Symphony’ - not an explicit reference to music, but to the harmonious mixture of elements that create the composition. This was one of many Whistler paintings to be named in musical terms. The white blossoms, fan and extensive folds of drapery act as decorative elements, combined to stimulate visual pleasure. While tranquil and harmonious, the attitudes of the figures also give the work a languid quality. Whistler admired the elegance of Japanese art and classical Greek sculpture, and both these influences are apparent in this painting.
Despite the subjectless nature of Whistler’s painting, the woman reclining on the sofa is identifiable as Whistler’s mistress, Joanna Hiffernan, while the second figure is Milly Jones, the wife of an actor friend. Hiffernan modelled for all the paintings in Whistler’s Symphony series, and her visual engagement with the artist (and in turn, the viewer) emphasises her role as muse. Her gaze and pose border on seductive, as if she possesses nymph or goddess-like qualities.
Naomi Rees, Curatorial and Learning Intern
A free gallery talk on this painting will be given on Thursday 26 January, at 1:15pm, in the Blue Gallery.
All welcome.