American artist James Whistler, like the impressionists, wanted to capture on canvas that subtle and so beautiful moment with which the real world is so rich. Sharing the doctrine of Charles Baudelaire about synaesthesia, he found in this process much in common with listening to music. By analogy with them, the artist gave his works unusual names like “Symphony” or “Improvisation”, and the special musicality of the images was emphasized by the flexibility of the lines and the smooth color transitions.
Despite the fact that the work of Whistler is close to Impressionism, it is difficult to attribute it to this school. He was, rather, an original artist: he liked to experiment and synthesize techniques from various directions and currents, not giving himself entirely to any of them.
A gentle and touching composition “Symphony in White No. 1: a girl in white” – this is one of their three nocturnes depicting girls in light clothing. The painting, exhibited in the Salon of the Outcasts in 1863, caused laughter and jeers of critics. The audience did not accept such an extraordinary painting.
The artist posed Irish Joanna Hiffernan. For her, this work as a model was a debut. Whistler admired Joanna and her red hair to such an extent that, while working on the canvas “Wapping”, he dreamed of continuing to paint a portrait as soon as possible. Subsequently, the spectacular Irish became his lover.
The wolfish grin is discordant with the general mood of the picture and contrasts with Joanna’s sad and slightly frightened face. Lily in the hands of the girl symbolizes a symbol of purity and nobility.
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