James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1

The 1871 oil work Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, an American-born artist, is also known by the slang term Whistler's Mother. Anna McNeill Whistler, Whistler's mother, is depicted in the artwork. The picture, which measures 56.81 by 63.94 inches (1,443 mm by 1,624 mm), is housed in a frame created by Whistler. After being purchased by the French government in 1891, it is now housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. It is among the most well-known pieces created by an American artist outside of the country. It has been variably compared to a Victorian Mona Lisa and an American icon. This is also one of the most famous paintings of all time.

Whistler's Mother, also known as Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, expresses the artist's desire to create art for the sake of creating art. In the piece, which James Abbott McNeill Whistler created in his London studio in 1871, the formality of portraiture takes on the form of an essay. Anna Whistler, Whistler's mother, is depicted as one of several components arranged in a series of right angles. Despite Whistler's formalist goals, the picture came to represent motherhood because of her stern countenance, which blends in with the composition's rigidity.

Artist: James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Created: 1871