The Lost Symphony: Whistler & the Perfection of Art

Draped Female Figure

Draped Female FigureThis sketch is both classical and Japanese in inspiration. The elegant pose—the figure standing upright before a railing, her back to the viewer, and her head turned to one side—is common in Japanese prints.


James McNeill Whistler
1870–73
Black and white chalk and pastel on brown paper
F1905.133


 

https://asia-archive.si.edu/press-release/the-lost-symphony-tells-story-of-a-painting-that-does-not-exist/