Relationships
James McNeill Whistler
Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl
1861–1863, 1872
Oil on canvas, 213 × 107.9 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington
Dress and curtain are almost all white, so the figure is modeled in very small steps of value, in a high key. Red hair and lips, a few flowers and blue carpet pattern give the only strong color; the bearskin is a pale tan.
- In February 1862 Whistler told George du Maurier that, apart from the red hair, it was "one gorgeous mass of brilliant white."
- A gray underlayer lies in selected areas beneath thick, heavily textured white paint.
- Technical study suggests a more colorful floor covering once lay where the bearskin is now.
He later grouped it with two more white pictures as Symphony in White, and said such works were about line and color, not story.
Concepts
Image: National Gallery of Art Open Access · CC0