James Abbott McNeill Whistler

James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an Americanborn, Britishbased artist active during the American Gilded Age. He was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, and was a leading proponent of the credo art for arts sake. His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol was apt, for it combined both aspects of his personalityhis art was characterized by a subtle delicacy, while his public persona was combative. Finding a parallel between painting and music, Whistler entitled many of his paintings arrangements, harmonies, and nocturnes, emphasizing the primacy of tonal harmony. His most famous painting is Arrangement in Grey and Black No., commonly known as Whistlers Mother, the revered and oftparodied portrait of motherhood. Whistler influenced the art world and the broader culture of his time with his artistic theories and his friendships with leading artists and writers.

James Abbott Whistler was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on July 10, 1834, the first child of Anna Matilda McNeill and George Washington Whistler. His father was a railroad engineer, and Anna was his second wife. James lived the first three years of his life in a modest house at 243 Worthen Street in Lowell. Today, the house is a museum dedicated to Whistler. During the Ruskin trial , Whistler claimed St. Petersburg, Russia, as his birthplace, declaring, I shall be born when and where I want, and I do not choose to be born in Lowell.

Source: Wikipedia