In the history of Western art, there are many enduring works that are still praised today, such as "Mona Lisa", "Sunflower", "The Girl with pearl earrings" and "Whistler's Mother". It is worth mentioning that the painting "Whistler's Mother" also has a little-known story, because of a lawsuit, the author said a sentence that is still thought-provoking. What exactly is that? If you are also curious, the following Xiaobian will reveal the secret to you.
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Readers familiar with Western art history know that Whistler's Mother is a representative work of the famous American painter James Abbot McNeil Whistler, which is now in the collection of the Orsay Museum in Paris, France. According to the records, Whistler was born in the small town of Lowell, Massachusetts, usa, his father was a railway engineer at the time, and his mother was a teacher at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Whistler was gifted as a child, developed a strong interest in painting, and when he grew up, he was able to enter the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Petersburg, Russia, laying a solid foundation for his later career in painting.
After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, Whistler entered West Point at the strong request of his mother, but at this time Whistler did not have good academic performance, especially physics and chemistry never passed, and was eventually expelled from the school. Whistler was 21 years old at the time, and after much thought struggle, he finally decided to devote himself to his favorite painting work. Later, Whistler went to Paris to study fine arts, copying it in Glarel's studio, and three years later he opened his own studio in London, during which time he composed "The Girl in White" and "The White Symphony", which also made him famous.
It is worth mentioning that Whistler's personality is very strange, he seems to be lonely and indifferent most of the time, but sometimes he seems to be enthusiastic, giving people the feeling that they are two completely different personalities. In this regard, it is reflected in Whistler's paintings as a gray and dark tone, and careful viewing will produce a quiet beauty, such as "Whistler's Mother" is a typical representative. Created in 1871, the painting depicts an old woman sitting on her side in a chair, wearing a white turban and a white bow tie, but wearing a black robe, even the shoes are black, so the contrast between black and white gives a strong visual impact. Although the old woman in the painting only has a side face, she can feel her peaceful demeanor, and even reveals a trace of nobility. For this "Whistler Mother", Whistler also has a famous saying, that is, it does not matter who the portrait is painted, what is important is the content of the performance.
At that time, Whistler, although famous, was not accepted by the public, especially the painting "Whistler's Mother". When Whistler created Whistler's Mother, he also sent the painting to the London Academy of Arts in the United Kingdom for exhibition, only to be removed from the academy the next day, on the grounds that his painting style was characteristic of Oriental art, that is, too subtle, which may be related to the fact that he studied painting in Russia. All in all, Whistler failed, and his other paintings were criticized, with the exception of Whistler's Mother.
Years later, Whistler took the painting "Whistler's Mother" to the competition, but unfortunately failed, and at this time there was a small episode. At that time, there was a famous art critic in London, Ruskin, who saw the painting "Whistler's Mother" and criticized it so much that even his comments made the front page of the newspaper, which made Whistler very angry. Whistler filed a lawsuit in the local court, demanding a public apology from commentator Ruskin and 2,000 gold coins for damages to his reputation. Later, Whistler and Roskin confronted each other, and Roskin disagreed with the compensation of 2,000 gold coins, and mocked Whistler, saying, "Can the bad paintings you painted in those two days be worth 2,000 gold coins?" To such ridicule, Whistler said firmly: "What I want is your compensation for my lifelong knowledge."
Whistler means that even if his paintings are not valuable, his knowledge and knowledge are priceless and no one can be insulted, just as a person's work can be very bad, but his personality must not be trampled. Roskin was powerless to refute Whistler's remarks, and the judge naturally ruled that Whistler had won, and Roskin publicly apologized and paid reparations. Years later, even though Whistler's Mother has been forgotten, the words are still fresh in the memory and have become the motto of some new young painters.
Because of this lawsuit, Whistler and his works began to be reacquainted and discovered his pioneering painting skills, and the painting "Whistler's Mother" also went out of the warehouse, was collected in the Orsay Museum in Paris, France, and was also displayed in the most conspicuous position for people to observe.
Resources:
"Six Hundred Years of Western Oil Painting" by Gan Suqing, Publisher: Liaoning Fine Arts Publishing House
Wenlan Hairun Studio Editor-in-Chief Wen Xiucai, this article is written by: Special History Writer: Liu Lijiang's