Symphony in White, No. 1 - James McNeill Whistler (c. 1861-2)

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16" x 32" Artwork on Scratch-Resistant True-Matte Archival Canvas. Our true-matte canvas is a well-textured 19 mil bright white, consistent poly-cotton blend with a real matte look and feel. Utilizing newer giclée technology, this is one of the first scratch-resistant matte canvases available. With an eye-popping color gamut and dmax, coupled with critical archival certification and the ability to apply a laminate hassle-free, it sets a new standard of exceptionalism in fine art. Internally, we refer to this masterful blend of artistry and engineering as "the game changer" that will capture every nuance in your images.

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Symphony in White is a series of three paintings by James McNeil Whistler. He resented the idea that his paintings should have any meaning beyond what could be seen on the canvas. “My painting simply represents a girl dressed in white standing in front of a white curtain.” Whistler intended to emphasize his philosophy of "art for art's sake."

Symphony in White, No. 1, was exhibited shortly after the publication of Wilkie Collins’s novel, “The Woman in White.” Because the English critics saw the painting as an illustration of the novel, they tended to be less favorable. One such critic called it "...one of the most incomplete paintings we ever met with."

French critics tended to see it more as a visionary, poetic fantasy. Whistler’s supporters insisted the painting was “an apparition with a spiritual content,” and that it epitomized his theory that art should be concerned essentially with the arrangement of colors in harmony. However, certain French critics saw the influence of the English Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood as somewhat eccentric.

All three Symphony in White paintings portray the model Joanna Heffernan who was the artist's mistress at the time. Their relationship had been referred to as a “marriage without benefit of clergy.” Heffernan’s father, Patrick, referred to Whistler as “me son-in-law.”

Whistler’s family did not approve of Heffernan. His brother-in-law Francis Seymour Haden refused a dinner invitation in the winter of 1863–64 due to her dominant presence in the household. When Whistler’s mother visited from America in 1864, alternative accommodation had to be found for Heffernan.

Whistler and Heffernan parted ways after the completion of Symphony in White, No. 3, in 1866-7.