Model Draping
probably 1889
Medium
Transfer lithograph in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 19.6 × 11.2 cm (7 3/4 × 4 7/16 in.); Sheet: 33.2 × 20.6 cm (13 1/8 × 8 1/8 in.)
Classification
transfer lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
139615
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler, renowned 19th-century American-born artist celebrated for his elegant Aestheticism and subtle tonal harmonies, created *Model Draping* 1889. This print captures a figure study likely from Whistler's studio practice, where models often posed with flowing drapery to explore form, light, and texture. Belonging to his innovative printmaking phase, it reflects his belief in "art for art's sake," prioritizing and composition over narrative. Executed as a transfer lithograph in black ink on cream laid paper, the work showcases Whistler's mastery of this technique. He drew the...
About the Artist
James McNeill Whistler · 1834–1903
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American-born painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and pioneer of Tonalism and Japonisme. He revolutionized art by championing "art for art's sake" and treating paintings as visual equivalents of musical compositions, titling works as "arrangements," "harmonies," and "nocturnes" to emphasize formal qualities o...