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May Issue 2004
Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, Presents Works by James Abbott McNeill Whistler
The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC,
celebrates springtime with an exhibition from the Corcoran Gallery
of Art in Washington DC. Commemorating the centennial of American
artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler's death, Whistler and
His Circle in Venice, explores the artist's journey to find
the "Venice of Venetians," and how this brief period
in Venice transformed his career. The story of the expatriate's
sojourn traces Whistler's fall from grace in critical circles
of London, his bankruptcy and his triumphant return to London
from Venice, in which he won wide recognition for his draftsmanship
and extreme technical proficiency both as a painter and etcher.
At the Columbia Museum of Art from May 1 through July 3, 2004,
this exhibition marks a long-overdue examination of Whistler and
his circle.
The Corcoran exhibition explores Whistler's considerable influence
on his contemporaries and followers and the subsequent impact
of his fresh vision of Venice on generations of artists. In 1879
Whistler was suffering from a lack of new patrons resulting from
adverse publicity, in part due to critical reviews, as well as
financial insolvency due to a lawsuit in which he sued John Ruskin
for a public insult of his work. Under these circumstances Whistler
readily accepted a commission in September 1879 from the Fine
Arts Society in London to produce a set of 12 Venetian etchings
over a period of three months. Whistler was to fall in love with
the decaying city - the long vistas and back alleys, the quiet
canals and the isolated squares. He stayed on for 14 months producing
over 50 etchings and subsequently achieved a high reputation as
an etcher.
On returning to England, these etchings and pastels re-established
Whistler's artistic reputation and marked a turning point in his
career. Although critics remained divided due to Whistler's modernist
approach, contemporary artists embraced the freshness of his vision.
While in Venice, Whistler worked in a variety of media, including
etching, oil and pastel. Whistler worked incredibly quickly and
his etchings, while mirror images, are simple and direct thereby
eliminating all extraneous details. For example, Whistler's print,
The Piazzetta, relies on broad outlines to define the Venetian
scene without including unnecessary details, such as the upper
part of the column of St. Mark.
Whistler and His Circle in Venice features 50 intimate
etchings - 20 by Whistler - and also includes the work of Whistler's
circle: Otto Bacher, Charles Holloway, Mortimer Menpes, John Marin,
James McBey, Frank Duveneck, Joseph Pennell, Ernest Roth and John
Marin. In addition, the exhibition features six etchings by Canaletto
from 18th century Venice. "Whistler's Venetian work is remarkable
not only for its extraordinary aesthetic appeal but also for its
impact on generations of later artists who represented Venice,"
notes exhibition curator Eric Denker, Curator of Prints and Drawings
at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. "For instance, Whistler was
the first artist to paint monumental non-tourist sites in Venice;
John Singer Sargent also adopted that practice. Whistler also
chose not to reverse his prints because he wished them to be viewed
as works of art, not tourist souvenirs. Likewise, Joseph Pennell,
John Marin, Ernest Roth and others did not reverse their images."
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834 1903) was born in Lowell,
Massachusetts, but lived in Russia during his youth and in Europe
for all of his adult life. He often courted controversy, most
notably with his early patrons Frederick Leyland, John Ruskin
and Oscar Wilde. The work Whistler produced while in Venice rehabilitated
his reputation and career and re-established Whistler as a leading
artist. The 15 months he spent in Venice marked the first time
Whistler developed a circle of followers.
Whistler and His Circle in Venice is organized by the Corcoran
Gallery of Art. The exhibition and its companion catalogue are
supported by the Arthur Ross Foundation; Mrs. Martha Ann Healy;
the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. George T. Johnson;
Furthermore, the publication program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.
The Columbia presentation is sponsored, in part, by the City of
Forest Acres. The State newspaper is the official media
sponsor for the exhibition.
Produced by Merrell Publishers (London), a fully illustrated, comprehensive catalogue accompanies the exhibition. The catalogue features four essays, three by Eric Denker: Whistler in Venice explores the artist's Venetian period; Whistler and Sargent examines the artists' interactions throughout their careers, and Whistler's Followres traces Whistler's influence on later artists; and additional essay by Kenneth Myers, curator of American Art at the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, details Charles L. Freer's acquisition of Whistler's pastels. The softback retails for $29.95. The hardback retails for $39.95.
There are a number of related programs planned
in conjunction with this exhibition. Check with the Museum for
complete details.
For more information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings,
call the museum at 803/799-2810 or at (www.columbiamuseum.org).
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