Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket

Whistler, Nocturne in Black and Gold

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Question 1

In the libel case against John Ruskin, why did Whistler argue that his painting was worth 200 guineas?

A	That was the cost of the materials he used to create the oil on panel painting.
B	Even though he made the painting quickly, Whistler asserted that it was informed by a lifetime of experience as an artist.
C	That was the insurance value determined for the painting when it was exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1977.
D	Other artists making nighttime scenes were selling their paintings for this same amount.

Question 2

Why did Whistler use the terminology of musical composition for the title of this and other paintings?

A	He was also trained as a musician and did not see a distinction between making images and composing musical scores.
B	He was intentionally branding himself as an artist, creating a unique identity that would set him apart from other painters of the time.
C	He was drawn to the way that music so overtly conveys beauty and feeling through formal qualities such as tone, rhythm, and form.
D	This was Whistler’s strategy for encouraging contemporary musicians to produce scores to be played while viewing his paintings.

Question 3

How is the influence of Japanese prints visible in this painting?

A	In the emphasis on modern scientific advancements such as the creation of brighter, more brilliant colors for fireworks.
B	In the visible brushwork and texture that covers the panel.
C	In the depiction of figures that are almost obliterated, indistinguishable from other details in the scene.
D	In the subject matter of fireworks in the night sky, the large areas of muted colors, and the more decorative composition.

Question 4

What is meant by the phrase “art for art’s sake” in late 19th century Britain?

A	Artistic creations do not need to mean something, tell a story, or teach a lesson, but should be primarily beautiful and moving based solely on their formal features.
B	Art does not need to be made by request or commission, but can be made simply for the artist’s enjoyment of the process.
C	Art should never have a practical function, but instead only be made for viewing in museums.
D	Art should be made primarily as a tool for the instruction of future artists.

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Key Points

The emergence of the Aesthetic movement in Britain in the 1860s signaled a turning point for painting and other art forms. Artists moved away from expected portrayals of narrative scenes that underscored moral or historical lessons. Instead they focused on more philosophical portrayals of beauty, exploring the formal qualities of visual imagery such as color, tone, shape, and line, and striving for the creation of “art for art’s sake.”
Artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler employed the metaphor and language of music to describe his images, emphasizing how the formal qualities of his artwork convey emotion and beauty. Whistler’s nocturnes conjured the experience of nighttime at a moment when scientific advances in electrical lighting and pyrotechnics were intensifying the brilliance of after-dark illumination.

Go Deeper

This painting the Detroit Institute of Arts

Whistler Nocturnes at the Tate Britain

Hélène Valance, Nocturne: Night in American Art, 1890–1917 (Yale University Press: 2018).

The Aesthetic Movement

Ruskin vs. Whistler

Mary Zajac, “How James McNeill Whistler Became a Brand and Fought for it in Court,” HUMANITIES 35 no. 5.

Learn more about Japonisme, the interest in and influence of Japanese art and design on Western art in the late 19th century

More to Think About

How is Nocturne in Black and Gold an example of “art for art’s sake”?

Where do you locate the most value in a work of art–in the ideas expressed, the technical skill of the artist, or somewhere else? Debate this question as a class and cite examples of artworks that support your case.