J. Becquet, Sculptor
Medium
Etching and drypoint with foul biting in black ink on ivory Japanese paper
Dimensions
Plate: 25.7 × 19.4 cm (10 1/8 × 7 11/16 in.); Sheet: 32 × 21.2 cm (12 5/8 × 8 3/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
79417
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *J. Becquet,or* (1859) captures the likeness of French sculptor Jacques Becquet in a striking portrait from Whistler’s acclaimed “French Set” of etchings. Created during the artist’s formative years in Paris, this work reflects Whistler’s immersion in the Realist circle, where he befriended fellow artists and drew inspiration from masters like Rembrandt. The intimate depiction of Becquet at work highlights Whistler’s early fascination with everyday creative life, bridging portraiture and the bohemian art world of mid-19th-century France. Masterfully executed in etchin...
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...