A Museum of Fine Art in Madison, Georgia

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AUDIO 8: James McNeil Whistler

James Abbot McNeil Whistler American, (1839-1906) Savoy Pigeons, 1896 Original lithograph, in The Studio, Ref: Way 118, Levy 164 A brilliant and provocative 19th century artist, Whistler advocated “art for art’s sake.” He rejected the traditional supposition that artists portray recognizable subjects and forged a unique style that communicated the inner beauty he felt while creating art. Despite an abrasive personality, Whistler’s artistic style is ironically subtle and abstract. And many of his works bear abstract musical titles. In August of 1888, Whistler married Beatrice Godwin, the beautiful young widow of celebrated architect E. W. Godwin. A few years earlier, Beatrice had posed for one of Whistler’s full-length portraits, Harmony in Red-Lamplight. After seven years of happy marriage in France, Whistler’s beloved Trixie fell ill and was diagnosed with cancer. Frantic for a cure, Whistler moved the couple to London near her family. They resided in a succession of hotels including, in the final stages of her illness, the new Savoy where Whistler rented the highest rooms for his wife overlooking the river Thames. By then, the hotel’s opulent Victorian furnishings and cuisine were of little value to his failing wife. Yet Whistler spent much of his time with his wife, who by winter’s end could rarely leave her bed. One of 8 lithographs created at the hotel, “Savoy Pigeons” records the impressive view of the Thames and London skyline, looking toward Westminster from the balcony of his room, and depicting two birds perched on the balcony. Whistler signed the work with his signature Butterfly monogram visible below the pigeons. Works Held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Frick Collection, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Tate Gallery.

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