HOME / art: The big picture.

Whistler's Velvet RevolutionThe art of painting softly.

By Christopher BenfeyPosted Wednesday, July 9, 2008, at 6:58 AM ET

Click here to launch a slide show on James McNeill Whistler's revolution.Click here to read a slide-show essay on James McNeill Whistler's revolution.

Print This ArticlePRINTEmail to a FriendE-MAILShare This ArticleRECOMMEND...Get Slate RSS FeedsRSS
Christopher Benfey is Mellon professor of English at Mount Holyoke. His latest book, A Summer of Hummingbirds, about writers and artists in Gilded Age America, has just been published by the Penguin Press.
What did you think of this article?
Join The Fray: Our Reader Discussion Forum
POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES
TODAY'S PICTURES
TODAY'S CARTOONS
TODAY'S DOONESBURY
TODAY'S VIDEO
Hippie paradise.13/090717_TP.jpg
Cartoonists' take on unemployment.85/090717_TC.jpg
Bailout.97/Holder_TD.jpg