The Artist in His Studio

1865–66

By the mid-1860s, American artist James McNeill Whistler was increasingly fascinated with the aesthetics of Asian art. Here, Whistler stares out at the viewer with palette and paintbrush in hand, surrounded by works from his collection: three Japanese scrolls on the wall and Chinese porcelain on the shelves at the left. The artist applied thin layers of paint in muted tones to evoke the flattened appearance of Japanese woodblock prints.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)

Date

1865–66

Medium

Oil on paper mounted on panel

Dimensions

Board: 62 × 46.5 cm (24 7/16 × 18 5/16 in.); Overall: 63 × 47.3 cm (24 13/16 × 18 5/8 in.)

Origin

London

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Friends of American Art Collection