James McNeill Whistler

Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 2:
Portrait of Thomas Carlyle

Copyright Glasgow Museums
Date 1872-1873
Materials Oil on canvas
Dimensions 171.0 cm x 143.5 cm
Marks Signed with a butterfly at the centre right
Further information Glasgow Museums and Art Gallery. www.glasgowmuseums.com
Andrew McLaren Young, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1980 (137, plate 99).

Note This is a very sympathetic portrait of the distinguished Scottish historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle. His face is painted with great subtlety of expression. Whistler shows us little details such as the creases on his forehead and the veins on his hands. Notice that there are also areas of bold, flat colour, for example, look at Carlyle’s black suit. Notice how well arranged the picture is. The picture frames, wall panelling and butterfly signature all balance the figure of Carlyle. The profile pose gives Carlyle a grandeur and formality suitable for someone so well respected. It is very similar to the pose of Whistler’s mother in Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother which Carlyle greatly admired. Shadows in the picture show where Whistler made changes, for example, Carlyle’s right hand, which leans on a stick, was originally lower and further left.