Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2
Medium
Transfer lithograph with scraping, drawn on thin transparent transfer paper; only state (Chicago); printed in black ink on grayish ivory China paper
Dimensions
Image: 8 15/16 × 37 13/16 in. (22.7 × 96 cm) Sheet: 14 1/4 × 13 1/16 in. (36.2 × 33.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.251
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1894, James Mc Whistler, a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement, created *Count Robert de Montesqui, No. 2*, a striking transfer lithograph capturing the aristocratic French dandy, poet, and art critic Robert de Montesquiou. for his emphasis on tonal harmony, subtle color, and "art for art's sake," Whistler portrayed the count in a panoramic, elongated format (nearly 38 inches wide),oking a sense of elegant procession and fin-de-siècle sophistication. This print, part of a rare series, reflects Whistler's fascination with elite Parisian society during his later years in Europe. Whistle...
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...