Weary
Medium
Drypoint in black on cream Japanese paper
Dimensions
Plate: 19.8 × 13.2 cm (7 13/16 × 5 1/4 in.); Sheet: 26.7 × 18.4 cm (10 9/16 × 7 1/4 in.)
Classification
drypoint
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
105519
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The beautiful Irishwoman Joanna Hiffernan was Whistler’s muse and companion for more than six years in the 1860s. She modeled for several of his most famous figure paintings. Hiffernan also sat for French artist Gustave Courbet, who portrayed her in poses that were much more sensual than her work for Whistler.
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...