Fragile Modernism

Whistler embarked on a new project in the 1880s, working on a small scale in oil, pastel and watercolour, representing new London subjects and painting portraits of new urban types. This book is the first critical study of Whistler and his Impressionist followers and offers an in-depth analysis of Whistler's art as well as new insights into his modernist project. Anna Gruetzner Robins shows how Whistler formed an avant-garde group around himself and sought out followers who included Elizabeth Armstrong Forbes, Mortimer Menpes, Theodore Roussel, Walter Sickert and Sidney Starr to emulate his art and proselytise on his behalf. Their reminiscences and writings provide new information about Whistler's art, while their own little-known work, much of which is published here for the first time, is a testimony to its persuasive effect. Using a wealth of primary material, Robins tracks the history of Whistler and his group and shows through testimony and practice that they were formulating an identity as avant-garde artists. This is the first critical study of these Impressionist artists and throws new light on this neglected aspect of British art.