James Abbott McNeill Whistler

About this artwork

In 1885, American artist William Merritt Chase painted this striking full-length portrait of fellow expatriate James Abbott McNeill Whistler during a visit to London. Measuring an imposing 74⅛ by 36¼ inches in oil on canvas, the captures the "public Whistler"—elegant, elongated, and enigmatic—against a subdued, ambiguously spaced background. What began as an exciting artistic exchange, with the two planning mutual portraits over a London summer, ended in rupture: Whistler deemed Chase's homage a "monstrous lampoon," and his own unfinished portrait of Chase was never shown. Chase masterfully adopted Whistler's signature aesthetic—soft, free brushwork, a restrained palette, and fluid forms—demonstrating his virtuosity as a leading American Impressionist. This stylistic borrowing highlights the cross-pollination between these influential figures, who both shaped modern American art from European bases. Today, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, the painting endures as a testament to creative tension and innovation, immortalizing a pivotal moment when admiration clashed with Whistler's prickly temperament. It's a vivid snapshot of 19th-century artistic rivalries and exchanges.