James McNeill Whistler - Arrangement in Grey and Black, No.2. Portrait of Thomas Carlyle 1873
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Arrangement in Grey and Black, No.2. Portrait of Thomas Carlyle 1873
171x143cm oil/canvas
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, UK
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From Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum:
The title indicates that Whistler's chief interest was in creating a balanced, harmonious arrangement on the canvas, rather than a searching likeness of the sitter. Carlyle is shown in profile, and you can see how parts of the figure were changed as the artist worked. The framed pictures in the background, the stylized butterfly motif (in fact Whistler's signature monogram), the chair and the skirting board are key elements in making a balanced picture.
The artist's pioneering style was a reaction against popular Victorian painting in which subject matter and sentiment were dominant. This portrait was the first Whistler painting to enter a British public collection.