6. Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl by James McNeill Whistler, Tate Britain London
Famous Paintings and Their Hidden Histories: Spring Lecture Series
Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl, by James McNeill Whistler, Tate Britain London
Whistler’s painting of Joanna Hiffernan has a meditative, dreamy appearance. This young Irish woman is depicted in a beautifully painted white dress, with delicate pink flowers, leaning against the mantelpiece in the house she shared with the American born artist, in Chelsea London. The work hints at Whistler’s appreciation of Japanese art and culture with the young woman captured in a moment of deep contemplation, her face reflected in the mirror and silhouetted against a seascape, reinforcing the dream-like atmosphere.
Whistler’s biographers wrote of Joanna:
“She was not only beautiful. She was intelligent, she was sympathetic. She gave Whistler the constant companionship he could not do without.”.
The Tate Gallery is staging a major exhibition, in May to September 2026 in London. The retrospective – the first major European exhibition of Whistler’s work in 30 years – will bring together this and other world-famous paintings alongside rarely, or never seen, works.
Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl, by James McNeill Whistler, Tate Britain London
Whistler’s painting of Joanna Hiffernan has a meditative, dreamy appearance. This young Irish woman is depicted in a beautifully painted white dress, with delicate pink flowers, leaning against the mantelpiece in the house she shared with the American born artist, in Chelsea London. The work hints at Whistler’s appreciation of Japanese art and culture with the young woman captured in a moment of deep contemplation, her face reflected in the mirror and silhouetted against a seascape, reinforcing the dream-like atmosphere.
Whistler’s biographers wrote of Joanna:
“She was not only beautiful. She was intelligent, she was sympathetic. She gave Whistler the constant companionship he could not do without.”.
The Tate Gallery is staging a major exhibition, in May to September 2026 in London. The retrospective – the first major European exhibition of Whistler’s work in 30 years – will bring together this and other world-famous paintings alongside rarely, or never seen, works.
Triskel Arts Centre is proud to announce its association with The F-Rating initiative. Developed in the Bath Film Festival in 2014, the F-Rating is a new film rating which will highlight those with a strong female voice.