The Blacksmith
1895/96
Medium
Transfer lithograph in black, with stumping, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 22 × 16.7 cm (8 11/16 × 6 5/8 in.); Sheet: 28.2 × 22.8 cm (11 1/8 × 9 in.)
Classification
transfer lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
73855
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *The Blacksmith* (1895/96) captures the quiet intensity of labor in a transfer lithograph on cream laid paper, measuring a modest 22 × 16.7 cm for the image. Created late in the artist’s career, this print reflects Whistler’s mastery of printmaking during a period when he increasingly turned to lithography to explore everyday subjects with poetic subtlety. As a key figure in the Aesthetic movement,istler championed “art for art’s sake prioritizing harmony of tone and form over narrative, and this work exemplifies his ability to elevate the mundane into something timele...
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...