Draped Figure, Standing
Medium
lithograph in orange on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 22.7 × 11.2 cm (8 15/16 × 4 7/16 in.) sheet: 27.7 × 20.1 cm (10 7/8 × 7 15/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8799
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *Draped Figure, Standing* (1891) is a delicate lithograph in warm orange ink on laid paper, capturing a poised, anonymous figure enveloped in flowing drapery. Measuring just 22.7 × 11.2 cm, this intimate print exemplifies Whistler’s late-career mastery of lithography, a medium he championed to rival painting in subtlety and tone. The soft, velvety lines and subtle gradations evoke a sense of ethereal grace, inviting viewers to contemplate form and shadow rather than narrative detail. As a leader of the Aesthetic movement, Whistler believed art should prioritize beauty...
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...