Nocturne in Black and Gold

James Abbot McNeil Whistler was an artist who was very much influenced by the Japanese. He used ukiyo-e technique repeatedly while also focusing on colors and patterns. He is one of the first American artists that began to utilize the technique of the floating world. One of Whistlers works that utilizes this technique is Nocturne in Black and Gold (The Falling Rocket). This painting shows fireworks falling over London.  In this painting the viewer is presented in a fleeting moment of time and the viewer is also looking down on the scene which makes this painting a ukiyo-e. Since Whistler was at the forefront of artist using this technique and it was not very widely used a renowned critic, John Ruskin, openly rejected this painting of Whistlers. He claimed that it was an insult to art and that Whistler had just slapped paint onto a canvas. Whistler sued Ruskin and won. Whistler winning this lawsuit was a milestone in the age of art giving artist the upper hand on critics and others. This allowed artist to decide how they want to paint instead of allowing critics determine how the artist would paint.

Whistler was a very influential artist and had a big impact on art itself. Here are some of his other paintings that he contributed to the art society.