Quotes on Whistler

“The thing that’s interesting about Whistler is the degree to which he was an avant- garde thinker. One of the reasons he’s so important today is the links that he started. He drops a pebble in a pool and then out it goes.”

“Those ideas about liberating art from subject matter, Whistler was one of the first to do that. That’s how he was seen, as a precursor of abstraction.”

 “His gift was this multiplicity of talent and his curse was this multiplicity of talent.”

“He is constantly changing and adopting new styles, adapting himself to new ideas. I often times describe him as a sponge.  He just soaks up everything and then he selects what best suits his inclinations. What best suits his vision of the ideal picture.”

“He is determined to make beauty out of the every day.  He saw what was before him but he then turns it into artistry.”

 “His appearance became quite recognizable. You know with his white lock of hair. It was a recognizable appearance that he had, but you didn’t get past that with him.”

“There are thousands of artists in London in 1860s and 70s, and so you had to find some way to make yourself stand out. Whistler realized he could do that with flamboyant dress, outrageous statements and in the end adopting a style of painting that was unlike anyone else at the time.”

 He was a volatile person. You didn’t know what you were going to get with Whistler which was maybe part of the fun.

He alternates between this enormous self-confidence and enormous self- doubt.  And I think that’s what makes him so intriguing.

 Maybe didn’t have so many friends but he certainly did have respect as an artist in his lifetime.  Having to choose between the two, I’m going to be clear that he would have chosen respect first.