Study: Maud Seated
Medium
Lithotint in black ink with scraping and roulette on grayish ivory wove proofing paper
Dimensions
Image: 26.5 × 18.5 cm (10 7/16 × 7 5/16 in.); Sheet: 28.7 × 22.2 cm (11 5/16 × 8 3/4 in.)
Classification
lithotint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
139480
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler, renowned 19th-century artist celebrated for his emphasis on tonal harmony and "art for art's sake created *Study: Maud Seated in 1878. This intimate lithotint captures a seated figure in a delicate, atmospheric pose, exemplifying Whistler's shift toward Aestheticism, where beauty and mood trumped narrative detail. Produced during a prolific period in his printmaking career, following his famous Nocturnes and the Peacock Room controversy the work reflects his experimental spirit amid personal and professional challenges in London. The medium—lithotint in black ink on gr...
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...