The Gentle Art of Making Enemies

Nonfiction, Art & Architecture, General Art, Individual Artist, Artists, Architects & Photographers, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book The Gentle Art of Making Enemies by James M. Whistler, Dover Publications
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James M. Whistler ISBN: 9780486146560
Publisher: Dover Publications Publication: November 9, 2012
Imprint: Dover Publications Language: English
Author: James M. Whistler
ISBN: 9780486146560
Publisher: Dover Publications
Publication: November 9, 2012
Imprint: Dover Publications
Language: English

Whistler's Gentle Art, a classic in the literature of insult and denigration, might well be subtitled "The Autobiography of a Hater," for it contains the deadly sarcasm and stinging remarks of one of the wittiest men of the nineteenth century. Whistler not only refused to tolerate misunderstanding by critics and the so-called art-loving public — but launched vicious counterattacks as well. His celebrated passages-at-arms with Oscar Wilde and Swinburne, the terse and penetrating "letters to the editor," his rebuttals to attacks from critics, and biting marginal notes to contemptuous comments on his paintings and hostile reviews (which are also reprinted) are all part of this record of the artist's vendettas.
Whistler's most famous battle began when critic John Ruskin saw one of the artist's "Nocturnes" exhibited in Grosvenor Gallery. "I have seen, and heard," wrote Ruskin, "much of cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face." Whistler was incensed with this criticism, and initiated the famous libel case "Whistler vs. Ruskin." Extracts from the resultant trial record are among the highlights of this book, with Whistler brilliantly annihilating his Philistine critics, but winning only a farthing in damages.
The Gentle Art, designed by Whistler himself, is a highly entertaining account of personal revenges, but it is also an iconoclast's plea for a new and better attitude toward painting. As a historical document, it is the best statement of the new aesthetics versus the old guard academics, and it helped greatly in shaping the modern feeling toward art.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Whistler's Gentle Art, a classic in the literature of insult and denigration, might well be subtitled "The Autobiography of a Hater," for it contains the deadly sarcasm and stinging remarks of one of the wittiest men of the nineteenth century. Whistler not only refused to tolerate misunderstanding by critics and the so-called art-loving public — but launched vicious counterattacks as well. His celebrated passages-at-arms with Oscar Wilde and Swinburne, the terse and penetrating "letters to the editor," his rebuttals to attacks from critics, and biting marginal notes to contemptuous comments on his paintings and hostile reviews (which are also reprinted) are all part of this record of the artist's vendettas.
Whistler's most famous battle began when critic John Ruskin saw one of the artist's "Nocturnes" exhibited in Grosvenor Gallery. "I have seen, and heard," wrote Ruskin, "much of cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face." Whistler was incensed with this criticism, and initiated the famous libel case "Whistler vs. Ruskin." Extracts from the resultant trial record are among the highlights of this book, with Whistler brilliantly annihilating his Philistine critics, but winning only a farthing in damages.
The Gentle Art, designed by Whistler himself, is a highly entertaining account of personal revenges, but it is also an iconoclast's plea for a new and better attitude toward painting. As a historical document, it is the best statement of the new aesthetics versus the old guard academics, and it helped greatly in shaping the modern feeling toward art.

More books from Dover Publications

Cover of the book Selected Readings on Transformational Theory by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book You Can Draw Dogs by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book The Blue Fairy Book by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book King Arthur by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book The Architecture of Country Houses by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book The Marvellous Land of Snergs by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book Selected Short Stories by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book Wildflower Designs and Motifs for Artists and Craftspeople by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book Bloomingdale's Illustrated 1886 Catalog by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book Matter and Memory by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book The Best Supernatural Tales of Arthur Conan Doyle by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book 1001 Floral Motifs and Ornaments for Artists and Craftspeople by James M. Whistler
Cover of the book Ways with Watercolor by James M. Whistler
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy