Lesson 1 – Whistler’s Quest For Beauty

Introduction

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

– David Park Curry, Senior Curator, Baltimore Museum of Art

James McNeill Whistler, an expatriate American artist, strayed from the accepted realism of 19th-Century art when he began to create beautiful art with neither story nor moral but was just “art for art’s sake.” This radical concept would lead to the abstractions of the 20th-Century. But first Whistler had to promote and defend his vision to critics and patrons.

In this lesson students view the PBS film James McNeill Whistler & The Case for Beauty. After reading a short biography of Whistler and studying timelines of his life, they write an essay explaining how world events influenced Whistler. They view caricatures of Whistler and read about the public persona he created to market his art. Students identify Japanese influences in Whistler’s painting Variations in Flesh Colour and Green: The Balcony, view his preliminary figure studies, and create their own quick gesture drawings. To summarize their learning, they design a display of thumbnail images of Whistler’s art.

Guiding Questions

Learning Objectives

Abstract

In this lesson students learn how artist James McNeill Whistler gradually transformed his realistic art into beautiful “art for art’s sake.” From PBS film James McNeill Whistler & The Case for Beauty, students learn of Whistler’s self-promotion and obsession with Japanese art. They read Whistler’s biography and use timelines to write an essay explaining the influence of world events on Whistler and his art. After studying Whistler’s painting, Variations in Flesh Colour and Green: The Balcony and his preparatory studies, they create gesture drawings. Students plan a Whistler art exhibit and write justifications for their art selection and display. Reproducible study guides, biography, assignment sheets, and an assessment rubric are included in this standards aligned lesson.

Objectives

At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

Background for Teachers

Although born in the United States, James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) lived most of his life in Europe. He first studied art in St. Petersburg, was expelled from West Point, led a Bohemian life in Paris, and settled near the Thames River in London. He drew and etched the rough and tumble world of the Thames docklands. Whistler was a talented draughtsman who sketched incessantly. During his early career he followed Courbet’s precepts of realism, painting what he saw. But, he took to heart Baudelaire’s suggestion that artists find beauty in modern urban surroundings.

When Japan opened to Western trade, Whistler and other artists became obsessed with Japanese prints and ceramics. When Whistler raised the horizon line and limited color as in Japanese prints, his urban landscapes became more abstract. When his mother fled America’s Civil War and joined him in London, he painted his iconic portrait of her.

Whistler’s increasingly abstract paintings seemed strange to London art critics. However, Whistler discovered that he could defend and call attention to his art (and sell it) by writing witty rebuttal letters to newspapers. He developed an outrageous outward persona to market his art. Learn more about Whistler in the essay Whistler's Place in Nineteenth Century Art, also available below in the Downloads section.

Preparing to Teach This Lesson

Review the lesson plan and the websites used throughout. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and websites. Download and print out documents you will use. Duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing.

Students can access materials at http://www.whistlerthemovie.com.

Suggested Activities

Click any Activity heading to view that particular Activity in it's entirety (on the Activities Tab above). The corresponding documents are available for download below each Activity's respective heading.

» Activity 1. Introduce, View, and Discuss the Film, James McNeill Whistler & The Case for Beauty

» Activity 2. Read, Think, Write (Whistler’s life)

» Activity 3. Look and Think (Whistler’s The Balcony)

» Activity 4. Studio: Gesture Studies

» Activity 5. Assessment Activity: Design a Whistler Exhibition

Extending the Lesson

Activity 4. Lesson 1.8 Extension:

Students may add color to their figure sketches with markers or paint.

Activity 5. Lesson 1.9 Extension:

Students may use the Assignment Sheet for Designing a Whistler Exhibition to create their plan. It contains a sheet of thumbnail images of Whistler’s art. Either print this sheet and have students cut and paste the images to show how they would arrange this exhibit or they may use a computer to plan their exhibit. Students may include other examples of Whistler’s art from the film website. An assessment rubric is included for this assignment.

Handouts

The Basics

Standards Alignment

» National Core Arts Standards: National Visual Arts Standards

» Common Core State Standards Initiative – English Language Arts Standards

Author’s name and affiliation: