Whistler is contrasting. His 'Nocturnes' are a couple of ugly paintings! There are some paintings that aren't really pretty or beautiful, but that are still great works (the best example for me would be Goya's 'Saturn Devouring His Son'), but Whistler's 'Nocturnes' are just ugly for me. However, his 'Peacock Room' is REALLY impressive, almost perfect, precise details. It seems that we're actually standing in there!
The story of how Whistler fought with the owner and the architect of the house is just one of those great art history stories. It got to the point of trading insults - Whistler telling the owner, You'll only be remembered because of me (which did turn out to be true).
ReplyDelete