James McNeill Whistler's (Harmony in Black No. 10) 1885: A Scholarly Analysis of His Masterpiece

By Angelle Vinet

James McNeill Whistler's "Harmony in Black, No. 10," is his masterpiece, part of a series of three masterpieces in his oeuvre, the first being "Arrangement in Grey and Black, No1, Portrait of the Artist's Mother," the second one "Arrangement in Grey and Black, No.2, Portrait of Thomas Carlyle." The manuscrip

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Jan 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685158552

Angelle Vinet

Angelle Vinet has had a unique education first at The American College for the Applied Arts, then in Paris France from 1983-85 at Paris American Academy, and then La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisianne. The last 21 years Angelle has been dealing in 19th century fine paintings . She is a self-taught Whistler scholar since 2006 to present. This is her second book on Whistler.

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INTRODUCTION

A reexamination of James McNeill Whistler's, Harmony in Black, No. 10, was brought about through an idea of a proposed documentary and planned lecture on Whistler's two masterpieces. This manuscript was created to accompany a lecture on Harmony in Black, No. 10, 1885. It is not a copy and paste of my first book, but a fresh reexamination.

James McNeill Whistler's Harmony in Black, No. 10,1885 is his masterpiece, and the third painting in Whistler's series of three masterpieces in his oeuvre. The first in this series is Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, 1871, second is Arrangement in Grey and Black, No.2, Portrait of Thomas Carlyle, 1872-73. This manuscript documents Harmony in Black, No.10, was created at the height of Whistler's artistic profession following his successful Venice trip. Earlier scholarship, historical documentation and all the paintings by Whistler's followers and colleagues will identify why this painting is a masterpiece by James McNeill Whistler. The following discovery covers supporting research from earlier scholarship, Whistler's artworks, correspondence, scientific and technical analysis, infrared images, two forensic expert reports, and its placement in Whistler's oeuvre. The pictorial reverberations are numerous throughout later paintings by Whistler's colleagues and followers. They include later works by Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse whom viewed the painting at George Petitt's Paris exhibition in 1887.

ABBREVIATIONS AND CREDITS

The following text will present abbreviations for the following; University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland Special Collections Whistler, will be GUW. Whistler's correspondence and artworks are listed on the website at www.whistler.arts.gla.ac.uk. James McNeill Whistler's two main Catalogue Raisonnes on occasion will be referenced as Cat.Rais., The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, Text and Plates, as TPJMW, text and plates, written by Andrew McLaren Young, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer with the assistance of Hamish Miles and Margaret F. MacDonald's, James McNeill Whistler, Drawings, Pastels, and Watercolours, will be JMWDP&W. There are several references by other Whistler's scholars and these references will be made here in the text and in the biblography. On occasion, HB10 will be the abbreviation for Harmony in Black, No. 10.

Originally, I wanted to include the six insulation boards 4’by 8’ covered with discovery of referenced images, although copyright laws were problematic. A search engine is available to view all of the referenced artist's and their pictures that are not presented in the book.

Listed at University of Glasgow in The Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler System # 04100 dated October 5 1885 a poem sent to Whistler during the time he was painting Harmony in Black No. 10," by Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac (1855-1921) Symbolist writer, poet, and collector.

"Let there be Night and let there be Light

Portraits Brilliant-and yet somber,

Like a light in the depth of night;

Glowing rays- full of Shadows,

Like Pleasures- full of perplexities.

"Landscapes brilliant- and yet dull;

At the same time free- and yet precious.

And infinite- having an end

Where there are gleams having eyes.

All the clarity-all the mystery

Beside all the obscurity-and all the clearness:

That is the law of the Sky and the Earth

Of the Creations of the God Whistler."

RMF

17 October 1885

ACQUISITION AT OLDEST AUCTION HOUSE IN PARIS:

The painting I purchased, is a masterpiece by James McNeill Whistler's, Harmony in Black, No 10, 1885. Acquired at Hotel Drouot in Paris on June 23, 2006 at the auction house Poette, Castor, and Hara. The painting was listed generically as French School, 19th century, Lesson in a Rocking Chair, hanging on the wall with the original white Louis XIV Impressionist frame. I took notice of the visible dust marks on the bottom wiping up the bottom and sides of the canvas where someone had wiped the painting looking for a signature. My initial reaction was it had a strong possibility of being Whistler, so I left an absentee bid and hurried off to catch my flight home.

There were moments during this journey when I felt completely confident, knowing the path I was walking down was the right path at the right time. I am forever grateful for every door that opened at the right time and many not too soon, in all the joys of discovery in this continuing rewarding adventure.

LISTED IN THE PAINTINGS OF JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER'S KNOWN WORKS:

Listed in James McNeill Whistler's Catalogue Raisonne titled, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, Text and Plates," written by Andrew McLaren Young, Margaret MacDonald, Robin Spencer with assistance of Hamish Miles quoting the text,

#357, Harmony in Black, No 10" (plates 423,425)

Whereabouts Unknown

Support unknown, probably canvas; size unknown

Signed with butterfly"

History: The artist W. R. Sickert wrote that he had seen Whistler at work on several portraits of Maud [Franklin], which were probably Nos. 353 and 357-8; exhibited London, SBA, 1886-7 (312) as ‘Harmony in Black, No. 10’.

Professor Margaret McDonald in Volume 19, Studies in the History of Art, James Mc Neill Whistler, A Reexamination, page 23-24, From the 1880's there are a number of small sketches in oil and watercolor of Maud lying down on a sofa or in bed. There are mentions of serious illness, and more trips to convalesce with Lucas in France. I suspect that there was at least one more pregnancy before Whistler and she parted finally. One of the children is believed to have died in infancy. Maud's life during this decade undoubtedly was marked by much unhappiness and frustration. She continued to pose for Whistler and for his friends and followers, but less frequently. Dressed in oriental robes, she appears in a quiet little oil panel, Dolce Far Niente (Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow University), by the Australian born artist Mortimer Menpes. Menpes described her calling herself Mrs. Whistler, and working beside Whistler's followers: ‘One lady, I remember, used to paint flowers. We thought her work very fine. She had no academic training, but we placed her high because she painted on grey panels and in sympathy with Whistler.’ Maud exhibited at the Grosvenor and at the Society of British Artists under the name Clifton Lin (her mother's name was Clifton). Her work attracted no attention at all in the press, and one of her oils has survived, a tiny self-portrait, dark and Whistlerian (fig.19). Both she and Beatrice Godwin exhibited at the Society of British Artists in 1886 as Pupils of Whistler. Whistler had transferred his personal allegiance from Maud to Beatrice, and from the Grosvenor Gallery to the Society of British Artists. During his brief time as president of the society he sent his major works to the SBA. Ten years after his portrait of Maud, the Arrangement in White and Black, was exhibited at the Grosvenor, Whistler adopted the same pose for his last portrait of her, Harmony in Black, No 10 (YMSM357). It is known only from various caricatures, including one showing Whistler as the Harmony. Harmony in Black, No. 10 1885 was shown at the SBA in the winter of 1886-1887 with Harmony in Red: Lamplight (YMSM 253, Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow University), Whistler's portrait of Beatrice Godwin, his wife-to-be, in a similar pose (cat. Nos. 312 and 227)."

Whistler's works in lithographs, etchings, and drawings reflect his inspirational interest in compositional arrangement and subject listed in the archives at University of Glasgow, www.whistler.arts.gla.ac.uk, GUW. These works are both prior and after he created, Harmony in Black, No 10,1885. Numerous images of female figures seated in profile or three quarter profile was a prevalent theme for Whistler's artistry. He depicted females either seated, standing, or reclining, from the late 1860's and throughout his oeuvre. Whistler's multiple images of Maud are from the 1870's till 1884. Then from 1884 and later, Maud was replaced by Beatrice and her sister, Ethel Philip. Identifiable in the infrared photographs of HB10, Whistler initially posed Maud and then at some point soon after replaced her with Ethel Philip. Harmony in Black No. 10, was referenced by Whistler's follower, William Stott of Oldham's pastel, Maud in a Rocking Chair, 1886 ca. The date of 1885 to Harmony in Black, No. 10, is verifiable in the time and correspondence of Whistler's association with Beatrice Godwin and Ethel Philip in 1884-85. Ethel Philip posed for Whistler from 1884 till the 1890's, mostly in limited dark tonal compositions, surrounded in atmosphere. There are several images wherein Whistler depicted Maud and Ethel from above in an elevated viewer placement as seen in, JMWDPW, #897 Violet and Amber-Tea, 1883/84, #854 Gay Paget in the garden of Wortley Hall, Yorkshire, 1881, Harmony in Black, No. 10, 1885 and in A Lady Seated, 1893. Whistler's chosen viewer placement allowed for atmosphere and the rendering of dark tonalities contrasting with his placement of light. During the mid 1880's, Whistler was still under the spell of Venice. Nevertheless, his interest in placing the viewer's vantage point as elevated is identifiable in, Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1, Portrait of the Artist's Mother, and earlier works on paper and paintings of London and the Thames. Whistler returned to an elevated placement of the viewer during his Venice trip, identifiable in his pastels and etchings such as found in JMWDPW # 755. Winter Evening, 1879-80, # 767 A Street in Venice, 1879-80, #770r, 1880, The Palace of Rags, #790 Courtyard on Canal; grey and red, 1880ca. Another later lithograph is listed in JMWDPW #1457 Mrs. Birnie Philip and a daughter, 1896 ca, presents the viewer placement from above. And even later Whistler's portrait #1454, H.C. Pollitt, 1896ca, was for a proposed oil portrait that was never completed. Whistler again placed the viewer positioned from above looking down on the figure seated in an armchair angled three-quarters from the wall.

An image of Maud's self-portrait 1885-86 ca, identifies her hair style in a black high collared dress similar to the figure in Harmony in Black, No 10. She is pictured in a black dress with a high neck ruffle in several Whistler lithographs and in Arrangement in White and Black, 1876, YMSM 186, Freer Gallery, www.asia.si.edu. Although Whistler deliberately left her face ambiguous, there are clues identifying the sitter as Ethel, and certainly Maud knew that it wasn’t her in the portrait. William Stott of Oldham's pastel of Maud in a Rocking Chair, 1886 verifies the female Whistler painted in HB10 was not Maud. The hairstyle, dress design and string holding her eyeglasses identify her as Ethel Phillip. Infrared images reveal Whistler commenced the painting with Maud and then changed the figure to Ethel during 1883-84 when he was still in a relationship