La Belle Dame paresseuse - James McNeill Whistler

Bequest of Bryan Lathrop

"La Belle Dame paresseuse" by James McNeill Whistler (1894) Lithograph from thin transparent transfer paper, in black ink, on cream wove Japanese vellum.

Commentary

"La Belle Dame paresseuse" by James McNeill Whistler (1894) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Th emes to notice include lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. James McNeill Whistler is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: James McNeill Whistler American, 1834-1903. The work is cataloged within a United States cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as lithograph, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Lithograph from thin transparent transfer paper, in black ink, on cream wove Japanese vellum) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 23.6 × 17.5 cm (9 5/16 × 6 15/16 in.); Sheet: 31.1 × 23.1 cm (12 1/4 × 9 1/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include lithograph. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/73615

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data