If you don't look closely at this painting, you will feel that it is extremely monotonous, giving people a feeling of color graffiti. Because in the blue-gray darkness, only the dark green T-shaped piers stood there. Therefore, the viewer of the Tate Britain Museum generally does not waste time on this incomprehensible painting, but speeds up the pace to appreciate other works, and for some people who are paranoid about artistic creation, they will always mistakenly think that this painting is the author's careless work.
Serenade in Blue and Gold: Old Battersea Bridge
But anyone who has lived in London for a while, or who passes by the River Thames at sunset, knows that it is extremely rare to reproduce such a painting of the river at night, so it is not difficult to understand the simplicity of this painting. In fact, except in the height of summer, every time the river rises at sunset, the water mist rises on the river, and the hazy evening, the river will transform into a blue-gray landscape like this work.
Nocturne: Blue and Gold-Old Battersea Bridge is part of Whistler's "Nocturne" series based on the theme of night by the River Thames. Because Whistler liked Chopin's piano music, he adopted "Nocturne" as the name of the series. In order to create the Thames series of paintings, he took a boat to and from the banks of the Thames and was fascinated by his artistic creations. While Whistler was living in London (Whistler was born in the United States, in 1859, at the age of 25 he moved to London to live until his death in 1903), a port and bridge had been built along the River Thames.
However, what Whistler wants to paint is not the weapon of civilization, but the Thames itself, and the reflection of the lights on the river surface of the River Thames, the dots of light reflected on the water, and then mixed with the evening night and starlight, it is particularly quiet and serene, which is the unique feature of this painting, in the complex world can trace a little bit of tranquility. So he chose the Thames at night as the theme, rather than daytime. Whistler once wrote to a friend: "At night, the factory chimneys and high-rise buildings disappear without a trace, and the whole city of London is shrouded in heavenly silence, as if it has come to the world of elves." ”
Whistler depicts only the outline of the old Battersea Bridge in this painting, and does not paint other specific forms. The wooden bridge with only the skeleton exposed looks taller than the actual bridge. Why does this bridge look so high and so big? Because Whistler wasn't on the river, but in a boat down the river Thames. Sitting on the boat and looking up at the bridge, the painted bridge is naturally larger than it actually looks. The boatman who passed the pier stood on the boat and looked out at the boat where Whistler and the tourists were sitting. The shining golden light above the bridge is left by the fireworks that have just been released, and on the right side, a golden firework is flying towards the night sky with its tail dragged. Blurry gray water ripples softly, reflecting the flickering lights and stars in the distance.
When I saw this painting, I was fascinated by Whistler, who brilliantly captured the night view of the River Thames. From a realistic point of view, there is really nothing in this painting, but the scenery in the painting is the most authentic appearance of the gray River Thames. Especially on drizzly nights, the River Thames will present the dreamy gray of Whistler's paintings, which is incomprehensible to those who have not seen it, and is a vague and warm atmosphere like a "gray old blanket". Whistler is more committed to presenting the aesthetic image of the object than to depicting the object realistically, so his paintings give a musical feel.
James Abbot McNeill Whistler
Ironically, The famous art critic Ruskin did not like Whistler's work. Ruskin highly praised the realistic Raphaelite pre-schools, but extremely belittled Whistler's fuzzy abstract style. In 1877, Whistler could not stand Raskin's bad comments and took him to court on the grounds that an article published in The Times insulted his reputation. After more than a year of litigation, Whistler won the case, but failed to receive the compensation it deserved. In order to pay for the expensive litigation costs, he had to sell his newly built house in London, which was more than worth the loss.