In an era of great change and great beauty emerged
the character of James McNeill Whistler. Considered
by some to be one of the great innovators of
19th century art, he was a contemporary of the
Impressionists, much admired by Van Gogh and
Manet. Boldly experimental and famously witty,
Whistler disrupted the strict conventions of
Victorian society in pursuit of a new cult of beauty,
creating “art for art’s sake” and earning himself a
place in the history of great art. He found a parallel
between painting and music, and entitled many
of his paintings “arrangements”, “harmonies” and
“nocturnes”, emphasizing the importance of tonal
harmony in his work. His most famous painting,
Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (1871),
commonly known as Whistler’s Mother, is a revered
and often parodied portrait of motherhood. It is
arguably one of the most famous paintings in history
and this film will unveil the artist behind the art.
Tate Britain is now holding the first major
retrospective of Whistler in three decades. This
blockbuster exhibition promises to reawaken the
world to just how important Whistler is to art history,
uniting world-famous masterpieces with rarely
seen works. Exhibition on Screen will bring these
stunning works and the incredible story behind them
to cinemas around the world while the exhibition
is still running, bringing this truly global artist to a
global audience. This will be an unmissable chance
to get to know this visually spectacular artist and the
influence he has had on those who followed.
