Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket
James McNeill Whistler · 1875
Why it's great
Fireworks fizzle in a dark sky above a London park. Whistler painted it with a few dabs, and the critic John Ruskin said he was 'flinging a pot of paint in the public's face.' Whistler sued him for libel and won a farthing in damages. It started a famous argument about what art should be.
Where to see it
📍 Detroit Institute of ArtsDetroit, United States
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Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
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James McNeill Whistler was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, in the United States, and spent his childhood partly in Russia. He moved to Europe as a young man and lived in Paris and London, where he became one of the most famous (and sharp-tongued) artists in the world. He titled paintings like pieces of music, such as 'Nocturne' and 'Arrangement.' He died in London in 1903.
