The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler: A Catologue Raisonne

While American expatriate painter and aestheticist James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) is heralded as a printmaker, that reputation is based on his etchings rather than his lithographs. Indeed, as curator Katharine A. Lochman remarks in this opulent, two-volume, slipcased collection, those familiar with ""the subtle and sensuous effects"" of Whistler's paintings and the ""nuanced precision"" of his etchings may find the lithographs ""strangely devoid of personality."" Whistler himself considered the lithographs ""drawings,"" and many do resemble sketches. Whether this quality suggests that his work was careless or spontaneous is in the eye of the beholder. In the first volume, Stratis and Tedeschi, both of the Art Institute of Chicago, have used new digital technology to ensure accurate reproductions, including useful small plates of relevant works in other media or by other artists. The second volume contains illustrations of watermarks, organized to distinguish the posthumous prints from those made during the artist's lifetime, and an edition of Whistler's extensive correspondence with his lithographic printer, Thomas Way. The first comprehensive collection of Whistler's lithographs to be published this century, this sumptuous, carefully assembled reference work will be of most value to art dealers, collectors and scholars. (Sept.)