James abbott mcneill whistler biography of albert

Whistler, James Abbott McNeill American-born painter and graphic artist, active mainly in England. Petersburg, Russia, where the Major served as an civil engineer for the construction of a railroad line to Moscow. James Abbott was aged nine when his family moved to Russia, and he spent several of his childhood years there, studying drawing at the Imperial Academy of Science.

James whistler, nocturne

He soon became an inveterate traveller. In he went to live with his sister and her husband in London, and after his father's death the following year the family returned to the United States and settled in Pomfret, Connecticut. Weir's drawing class. He was dismissed from the academy in for "deficiency in chemistry", and after brief periods working for the Winans Locomotive Works in Baltimore, and the drawings division of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey he learnt etching as a US navy cartographer , resolved to become an artist and moved to Europe permanently in Through his friend Fantin-Latour he met Courbet , whose Realism inspired much of his early work.

The circles in which he moved can be gauged from Fantin-Latour's Homage to Delacroix , in which Whistler is portrayed alongside Baudelaire, Manet , and others. He quickly associated himself with avant garde artists, and was influenced by Courbet's realism, as well as the seventeenth century Dutch and Spanish schools. At the Piano was well received at the Royal Academy exhibition in and he soon made a name for himself, not just because of his talent, but also on account of his flamboyant personality.

He was famous for his wit and dandyism, and loved controversy. His life-style was lavish and he was often in debt.

What is james whistler known for

He began work on a series of etchings. Oscar Wilde was also among his famous friends. At The Piano ; Oil on canvas, 67 x