Whistler: A Man To Be Envied at Philbrook Museum

Monday, 08 August 2005 14:52

TULSA, OK.-The Philbrook Museum of Art presents Whistler: A Man To Be Envie. Whistler, famous for his wit, dandyism and a lavish lifestyle that often left him in debt, was one of the most influential artists of the nineteenth century. Whistler’s art, discreet and subtle, is in many respects the opposite of his often aggressive personality. However, the creed that lay behind his art was radical. Because of Whistler’s lack of consistent style, his aesthetics, his rejection of traditional story-telling or moral art, and his exploration of many mediums, the public often did not know what to make of him. Though Whistler achieved fame during his lifetime, he was never as famous, nor given as much credit as other well-known artists of this period. He did, however, have great influence on the art world in many ways. Because of his love of Japonisme and decorative arts, many credit him with helping to start the Art Nouveau movement. Furthermore, because of his belief in art for art’s sake and his focus on aesthetics, he helped initiate the Modernist movement. Now, at the centennial of his death, visitors to Philbrook will have the opportunity to take a personal look back at the life and art of this artistic innovator. This unique exhibition, consisting of over 100 works of art and personal effects from the artist’s estate, which have never before traveled to the United States, is a biographical time-line spanning 40 years of Whistler’s life and art. Paintings and graphics from his travels in France, the Netherlands, Venice, resorts in England, and renditions of his beloved river, the Thames, trace the various episodes in his turbulent life. Clients, acquaintances and models are depicted too, providing a view into the artist’s personal life. The etchings, drypoints and lithographs retained by Whistler are recognized as supreme impressions, while the personal effects allude to the late Victorian vanguard taste preferred by Whistler and many of his contemporaries, which influenced his art and lifestyle and squarely placed him as a progressive thinker in his time.

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