James McNeill Whistler (Lowell, Massachusetts, 1834 - 1903, London, England)
Lapis Lazuli, 1885-1886
Chalk and pastel on brown paper, 13 x 26 cm (5 1/8 x 10 1/4 in.)
This is a rectangular chalk and pastel sketch on brown paper. In this horizontally rectangular, small work a slender nude woman stretches out frontally with legs slightly crossed on a roughly sketched divan partially colored blue, the pigment after which the piece is titled. The women rests her head on a cushion that rests against the armrest to our left and gazes out to the viewer. She wears a kimono of blue, black, and red in such a fashion that most of her light-skinned body remains exposed. While her upper arms, shoulders, and part of her breast are covered, part of her left breast, oval belly button, small waist, and curvaceous upper hip are visible. Her roughly sketched face is encircled with blond hair and she wears a white, rectangular ornament on the top of her head. She holds an open blue, white, and tan fan held in her left extended hand which rests on the back of the divan. Above her feet, on our right, a red and black floral motif, evoking embroidery, decorates the couch. Her right arm is not visible, covered by the kimono which flows down the bottom front of the divan. Beyond the partially painted blue divan, the remainder of the perimeter is blank, brown paper.
Veronese Room
Commentary
This small pastel depicts a reclining nude wearing a colorful kimono and holding a fan. James McNeil Whistler was a founding member of the Aesthetic movement, exalting “art for art’s sake.” The movement was strongly influenced by Asian, particularly Japanese, artwork. While Whistler and others incorporated Japanese compositional principles into their work, they also used Japanese clothing and objects as props and costumes, divorced from their cultural and artistic context. Whistler’s distinctive butterfly-shaped signature is visible on the back of the sofa.