Standing Figure [verso]
1871/1874
![Standing Figure [verso] by James McNeill Whistler](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/standing-figure-verso-nga-11306.webp)
Medium
chalk on brown wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 27.4 × 18.4 cm (10 13/16 × 7 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8807.b
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate *Standing Figure [verso]*, a chalk drawing on brown wove paper by McNeill Whistler, between 1871 and1874. Measuring just 27.4 × 18.4 cm, this intimate study captures a solitary figure in poised stance, rendered with Whistler's signature subtlety. Housed in the National Gallery of Art'swald Collection, it exemplifies his mastery of drawing during a pivotal phase of his career in London. Whistler, an American expatriate and pioneer of Aestheticism, championed "art for art's sake," prioritizing harmony of tone and form over narrative. Here, the chalk medium on toned paper all...
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...