The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-19
suffered From Some Internal Com
plant. but Its Exact Nature
Is Not Known.
HIS LAST ACT CHARACTERISTIC.
He Left Instructions That No In
formation Regarding His Death
Should BE Given to News
papers or His Friends.

| yesterday. were quite characteristic of the
| man. When an Associated Press repre-
| sentative called nj the house to-day he was
| Informed that the artist hajt left strirSen.
| instructions that no Information whatever
| regarding his Illness or death should he
| given either TO his friends or the ;.ewspa-
| rers.
1t has been nearly year since Mr..
| Whistler shut up his beautiful studio in
| the Rue du Bac. Paris. and came TO live
| in London During the interval he seldom
| returned to Paris He lived in an old house
| which he formerly occupied IN Cheynewalk
| Chelsea. 1t Is picturesque building facing
| the Thames and is overgrown with creep
| ers.
The studio is at the back Of the house.
Whistler's friends could not imagine why
| he returned to London. as he disliked the
place. its climate. and despised English art
Whistler had been in bad health ever
since he returned to England. He suffered
from some internal complaint. He went oc.
! casionally to dinner parties with friends
| but gradually led more and more secluded
life. The exact nature of his complaint is
| not known. He grew rapidly worse few
| days ago and died quite suddenly yesterday
HIS VIEWS ON ART.
why should 1 not call my works.
Whistler is reported to have exclaimed
symphonies, arams. harmonies. noctures,
and so forth? know that many good peo-
| pie whose sense of humor Is very capacious
| think my nomenclature funny and myself
| eccentric. Yes. eccentric Is the best adj
1ective they find for me. But why do they
not give me credit for meaning something.
| and knowing what l mean?r
Whistler insisted that as music Is the
poetry Of sound. 50 is painting the poetry
| OF Sight, and that the subject matter had
| nothing to do with harmony Of sound or
| color. He held that art should be independ-
ent Of all claptrap: should stand alone and
| appeal to the artistic sense of the eye or
| ear without confounding this with emotions
| entirely foreign to 1t. devotion. pity, love,
| patriotism ard the like. All these he con-
sdered had no kind Of concern with art and,
| therefore. he persisted in calling his works
arams and harmonies.
HIS SUIT AGAINST RUSKN.
| His paintings were deliberate experiments
| in harmonies and contrasts of colors.
Among the best known are the white
Girl Gold GIRL" Blue Girl" ''Nocturne
in Blue and Cold Harmony in Gray and
| Green" Harmony in Brown and Black"
The critics of the day passed harsh judg-
ment upon these paintings. as wanting in
| form and composition.
Among the loudest IN condemnation of
| Whstler's pictures was Ruskin. who, in a
number of his "Fors Cleivigera'' denounced
one OF the noctrunes as "a pot of paint
flung in the public face" Whistler sued
| Ruskin for libel. and the trial, in 1878, was
one Of the causes celebres Of the year.
Whistler's cross examination gave him
ample opportunity for showing his power of
sarcasm. In the end. Whistler was awarded
a farthing damages.
Another dispute in which Whistler was
engaged was with Mr.. Leyland. the art
| patron. whose London house he decorated.
1 the famous Peacock Room being the cause
! of disagreement. He was also engaged in
| suit in the Paris courts with Sir William
Eden, who. in 1895, brought an action
against him TO deliver the portrait of Lady
Ellen, which he had been commissioned to
| paint The artist was directed to restore the
picture. the head of which he had painted
out. and to pay damages and costs.
| CHASE'S VISIT TO WHISTLER
William NJ. Chase has told how his own
| first call upon Whistler was made while OF
| his way to Madrid, how the call was pro-
| longed to a visit and how finally the sum-
mer passed and Madrid was forgotten while
he painted. chatted and Quarreled with
| Whistler In the London studio.
| 1t was during these days that Mr.. Chase
| found opportunity to observe the strange
| traits of character that astonished so many
| people. and here he saw that Whistler's
| absolute and unrelenting devotion to his
| art had made him the artist he was. a:
| well as the eccentric. Whistler never
scrupled to insist upon a ladys coming all
| the way across London to stand for two
| minutes for a detail that needed fixing II
| the painting of the dress. for nature wa.
his invariable master. and he insisted that
she should be ever before him.
On the other hand, though Whistler de.
| lighted in admitting crowds, yet no so.
| cial engagement was ever strong enough tc
| vie with the demands Of the muse. One O,
| this witty mans sayings came out while
Chase was urging him to stop work and
| get off to a dinner party where he wa.
| pledged. 1t did not move the man to bs
told the dinner was growing cold and the
guests were waiting for the lion. He ut
tered inarticulate grunts and painted or
| while Chase scolded. Finally. Whistle,
| turned around and said:
|
idea of leaving beautiful thing like thi.
to go eat with people"
! Again Chase urged him to keep an i'm.
| portant engagement with an American
| travelling in England and limited for time
| The engagement involved important hnan
| cial business tor the artist, but he could
| scarcely be torn from the easel Wher
work was suspended much time was ex.
| pended on the usual elaborate toilet. an6
the two finally set forth, Whistler carrying
| the slender wand made famous by Dr
Maurier's caricature. This time 1t was used
to prod the horse that dragged their han.
| som.
After travelling long stretches of Londor
streets and nearly reaching the end of the
| journey. Whistler suddenly ordered tn,
| cabman to turn about and retrace man,
steps. then to thread in and out odd streets
| Chase sulkily protesting. until he ordered
the driver to draw UP before a green-gro
| GERS.
There" said the enthusiastic artist
'is bit of color for you. That's fine. Onl,
shall have that box Of oranges placed OF
| the opposite side Of the doorway. I shall
come and do that some time"
| Then when the mood had passed TIT
| journey was resumed.
A LESSON TO A PUPIL
Once in a criticism he took the brush
from a pupils hand. and with one carefu
stroke painted in an upper lip: 50 true wa.
the modelling. SO skillful the brush work
4 fL,x Ill hor