A Famous Tonalist

Nocturne in Blue and Green

We haven't talked about Jimmy Whistler in a while but he fits in beautifully to our latest theme: COLOUR and segues perfectly from Clarice Beckett because Whistler is the most famous of the tonalist painters. And to make his blog position for this week even more exquisite, Jimmy Whistler might have been Chromesthetic but if not, at the very least saw a strong connection between painting and music, between colour and music: naming many of his paintings using musical terms such as arrangements, harmonies, and nocturnes: emphasizing the primacy of tonal harmony. (Wikipedia)

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (July 11, 1834 - July 17, 1903) was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo art for art's sake. His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail.(jamesabbottmcneillwhistler.org)

Please relax and reflect this weekend with some of his wonderful images.




Nocturne: Blue and Gold-Old Battersea Bridge 
Variations in Violet and Green 

Postscript
It is likely that Vincent Van Gogh was a Synesthete - that is someone with synesthesia, a condition in which the normally separate senses are not separate.