THE LATE JAMES MACNEILL WHISTLER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 212, 5 September 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE LATE JAMES MACNEILL WHISTLER.

some Amusing anecdotes.

(From Our London Correspondent.)

LONDON, July 21,

So James. MaeNeill Whistler has crossed the Bar, and never again shall I have the opportunity of ''drawing" the masteT of paint and persiflage. The occasion is green in my memory. It was at a little dinner given by the late Alfred S. Rathbone (for many years London correspondent of this journal) in celebration of I forget what, and included in the 'guests were Whistler, his bounteous wife, and half a dozen more or less eminent wielders of-pen or paint brush. But Whistler was, so to speak, the piece de resistance of the evening, and we hoped, all the rest of us, to afford him an attentive and appreciative audience. To our dismay, the oysters which opened our little banquet were not much less dumb than our honoured guest, who till soup, .fish and entrees had come and gone, made no more brilliant sally than/to express an opinion that the chief danger of moving was that in trying to escapo bad drains you generally got hold of a house in which they proved* ten times worse than those in the domicile you had left. The host was in despair. No topic seemed to arouse the faintest spark of interest in Wliistler, but at length a wicked thought entered my head. Turning to Mrs Whistler, who was on- my left, I asked her in very audible tones, "Have you seen anything of Mehpes lately?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Whistler prick his ears, and Mrs Whistler, with a smile, remarked, "You'd better ask Jimmy." • "What's that, my dear?" queried the artist across ■ the table. . "Oh, nothing much," replied Mrs Whistler; "only Mr wants to know if we've seen anything of Men- j pcs lately." In the twinkling of an eye Whistler's face lost all its melan--choly, and with much gesticulation'and intertwining of his long supple fingers James McNeill gave us his undiluted opinion of the South Australian artist — "that Australian k_ngaroo who came into my studio, pouched my ideas and brought them forth again before an admiring public as his very own. Bah!.,

. . . . 'But I'll have his scalp. It shall grace my wigwam"—and so on. Once started on the Menpes track it was difficult to stay his pursuit of "the Australian kangaroo," but gradually he turned off the spoor himself, and then became truly interesting, witty anecdote and epigram pouring fr6m him in abundance. When Whistler had departed and only our host and two or three late birds remained my dear old friend roundly abused me for mentioning the name of Menpes in Whistler's hearing, knowing as I did that the two artists were at daggers drawn. Which was precisely why I did it, and so saved the evening. A dumb Whistler was about as interesting as a dumb waiter, but .an animated Whistler was a treat not to be lost if by any means animation could be produced. I produced it by a delightfully simple process, but instead of gratitude my harvest was wrath.

The death, of Whistler deprives the world of an original genius and a striking personality, but he was not a man his fellows. Raillery '-: of W peculiarly wounding kind formed a large part of his conversational stock-in-trade, and on many occasions his observations amounted to gross insults upon people who had done nothing save fail to appreciate his real or 'assumed! colossal egotism. His gift, of epigram and repartee was often prostituted to make some unhappy wight who had ventured to differ with him ridiculous in the eyes of the company. There are many amusing instances 'on record of Whistler's egotism, One .recently made public tells how a certain notable American lady spent at great inconvenience to herself many months in Paris so as to allow Whistler to paint her portrafttl* At the end of the sittings WhistlefJPasliked the portrait and destroyed it before the sitter. Much chagrined, the latter asked what was to recompense her for all her time and money wasted, and received, the grandiloquent reply, "You have had the honour of having enjoyed the society of Whistler all these days."

Everyone, ofj course, remembers the painter's inimitable reply to the compliment of an admirer who had ventured in his presence to link his name with that of Velasquez. "But why, my dear fellow," replied Whistler, with his delightful drawl, "why drag in Velasquez?"

. On another occasion he was taking a launch trip up the Thames, and one of his fellow passengers gushing oyer a piece of scenery remarked, "It's just like a bit of Whistler," hoping, no doubt, to reap some reward for his flattery from the master. Whistler viewed the scene id silence for a few seconds, v and then remarked quietly, "'M yes, Nature's creeping up." -Well-known, too, is the story of how one day Whistler found himself among a group of ardent admirers of the late Lord Leigh ton. They praised him for his many attributes, waxed enthusiastic over his leonine head, and his eloquence, and, in fact, held up the late President of the Royal Academy as a man far above his fel-

lows. Strange to say, his . artistiachievements were not mentioned,, but Whistler rectified the omission. Yawning ostentatiously, he remarked, "Leighton,, yes, J'ye heard of him. Paints, a, bit; doesn't he?" These are examples of his assumed egotism, but that he had really a great conceit of himself was a very real fact, ■which obtruded itself with great frequency.

Among his pen productions I think the famous letter which he sent to-the secretary of a Munich arb show, acknowledging the award of a second-class gold medal, deserves to bo recalled:

"Sir, —I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your .letter, officially informing me that the committee award me a, second-class gold medal. Pray convey my sentiments of tempered and respectable joy to the gentlemen of tha committee, and my complete appreciation cf the second-class compliment paid me."

From his "Gentle Art of Making Enemies" many equally felicitous samples of his ironic methods can he extracted, but I forbear- Space, however, must be found for an extract, from a letter written- to the "Morning Post" last' August., The newspaper in question had declared Whistler to be very seriously ill, .and indulged in a sort of ante-mor-tem summary of his virtues as a painter. Writing to disclaim the suggestion that he was seriously'unwell, Whistler said:' "I cannot, as I look at my improving

self with'daily satisfaction, really believe it all—still it has helped to do me good! And it is with almost sorrow that I must beg you, perhaps, to put back into its pigson-holo for later on this present summary, and replace it with something preparatory, which, doubtless, you have, also ready." The "later on" arrived barely eleven months later.

In the minds of the general public Whistler had always been regarded as a; more or less eccentric artist, who asked monstrous prices for impossible "nocturnes'' aud nebulous creations, the merits of which were wholly invisible to the ordinary person. But much as his methods were called in question there are few critics to-day who would care to question his right to a place among the .foremost masters of his time. His groat weakness was a desire to astonish the Philistines, and hence those whimsical productions which he called "nocturnes," "arrangements," and which, though giving evidence of his mastery in achieving colour effects, were certainly not worthy of tho painter of Carlyle and the famous portrait of his mother, 'The White Girl," "At tho Piano' and "The Last of Old Westminster." The portrait of "My Mother" now hangs in the Luxembourg and the Carlyle is in possession of;the Glasgow Corporation. An amusing story is attached to the purchase of this art treasure. The corporation wanted the picture, but as to the price named (1000 guineas), they asked, "Do you not think, Mr. Whistler, thensuni a wee wee bit excessive?" "Didn't you know the price before . you came to me ?" replied the master with suspicious blandness. "Oh, aye; we knew that." "Very well, then," answered the painter, "Let's talk of something else." As there was nothing chit of interest to detain the corporation, they paid the price.

It was in. respect of Whistler's whimsical productions that Mr Ruskin let: fly his sharpest critical arrows in "Fora Clavigera," and in consequence was brought to bonk in the law-courts by the indignant fainter, whose* art ..he had pro-, nouiiced a'frank imposture—the res'ilt of one of the most memorable trials on record being that Mr Whistler, was awarded by the British jury who heard his case the sum of a farthing damages. It was an appropriate termination to o. case which takes rank among the most comical episodes in the history of art, and it is needless to say that the result did not affect in any degree the reputation of either to the dispute. " Of tho numerous law suits in 'whica' Mr Whistler figured in his time, one of the most amusing vM that, relating to the portrait commissioned by Sir .William Edeu of that gentleman's wife. Mr George Moore arranged ihe preliminaries, and the sum of £100 or £150 was mentioped. The artist completed the picture —a little, trifle 12in long: by 6in wide, and Sir William sent in return a chequo for £ 100. In response he received the following letter:—"l am in receipt of your, valentine. Yoa ; are truly generous. You are, in fact, carried away by your liberality. I only hp\.e. i that. • this 'little picture >will be woiihy. ■•of us all, and! Count upon tfie .\m'sP<_. promise of Lady. Eden to permit me -$o put a few iiuishing touches to it. She is so courageous, so benevolent, so beautiful." ,'.', ':'.,.. ' ' ■ ■ • :-.'-

In. point of fact, Mr Whistler eon-, siderod SUiii ; oj|aredVliiin, a^'' , aftgr'the exhibition picture not omy refused to deliveT it,, but effaced the features. of Lady Eden, while retaining the general composition, with _t .view to inserting another ; faee. Sir William went to law, and in the end Mr Whistler retained tho picture on repayment of the £100, and a thousand francs damages as well. Subsequently; Mi- .Moore, ■for daring to express the opinion that the £ 100 had been, adequate payment for the tiny canvas., received a challenge to o duel from ibis offended friend—an episode also productive of some piquant eo_ rcspondeuce- Mr, Moore declined the > sanguinary invitation on the grounds: (1) .that-with us the duel has now been relegated to the realms of comic opera; (2) that even if he were a Frenchman it was against the custom of duelling for anyone to accept a challenge from "so old a gentleman" as MrWhistler, he being sixty-five years of age; (3) that Mr -'.Whistler was unhappily so short-sighted that he would bo unable to see his opponent at twenty paces. The tragi-comedy ended with Mr Whistler writing to his seconds to apologise for having put them into communication with a runaway. The studios of Chelsea are full of Whistler anecdotes. One tells of a female model, to whom Mr Whistler owed some fifteen shillings for sittings. She was a "Philistine," who knew nothing of her patron's fame, and was in no way impressed by his work.' One day she told another artist .that she had been sitting to "a little Frenchman called Whistler," who jumped about his studio, and was always complaining Chat people were swindling him, and that he was making very little money. The artist suggested that if she could get any, piece of painting out of Whistler's stuh dib ho would give her £10 for it. A& though sceptical* the model decided t& tell her "little Frenchman" of this generous offer, and selected one of the finest works in the studio "What did lie say?" asked tho artist, who had made the offer, wdien the model appeared in * state of great excitement, and looking almost as if she had, recently been taking part in a football scrimmage. '.'He said '£10—good heavens—£lo!' and ho got so mad —well, that's how I came in here like this."