Whistler And Ruskin's Art Debate: From The "Lawsuit"

There was a famous art lawsuit between James Abbott Mc Neill Whistler(1834-1903)and John Ruskin(1819-1900)during the late 19 th century in Britain.Two famous artists,both active in the mid-to-late 19 th century in Britain,were facing each other in court because of a painting which led to“the debate between Whistler and Ruskin”.“The debate between Whistler and Ruskin” seems to be a conflict between the pros and cons of painting craftsmanship,but in fact it is a reflection of the change of art concepts in the late Victorian era in Britain and the great changes in European art in the 19 th century.It is the dispute of artistic truth under the cultural background of that time.The essence of the debate between them is about the significance,value and standard of art.The root causes of the debate between Whistler and Ruskin consist of internal and external aspects.First of all,the difference of “painting concept” is the main aspect of internal cause.Whistler advocated for “Art for Art's sake”,and in his artistic practice,he began to think about new art and pursued pure painting,which was showed in four aspects: “plane”,“oriental artistic taste”,“musicality” and “resolution of subject matter”.Ruskin was in favor of “Art for life”.He believed that a good work of art should not only convey lofty ideas,but also transform and enlighten the public.Besides,creating art requires people to be sincere and master the proven technique.In the second place,the external causes are the differences from the measurement of the price of an artwork,the standard of a serious work of art,and the necessary conditions for reviewing a painting in the debate.When it came to the outcome of the lawsuit,it ended with Whistler's victory temporarily,which triggered the Avant-garde artists represented by Whistler to think about “new art”.Wyeth's unique artistic creation has also been recognized and accepted by the artistic system with the end of the lawsuit.And Ruskin launched a new experiment of his artistic ideal through the “New Craft Movement”.The essence of the debate between Whistler and Ruskin is embodied in the following three aspects.First,this case reflects not only the similarities and differences between the two sides,but also is the reflection on the feature of the Victorian era.Second,they were both worried about“vulgar” art in the late Victorian period,and hoped to change the phenomenon of “affectation and grandiosity”.They also sought for new “artistic methods and concepts” and tried to change the current situation.Third,there was also difference in their solution.Whistler was holding “the Avant-garde idea of art”,while Ruskin was taking “the positive-Romantic idea of art”,which reveals essential difference between “the Avant-garde idea of art”and “the positive-Romantic idea of art” during the late 19 th century in Britain.There is no doubt that the "lawsuit" between Whistler and Ruskin has a historical significance.It not only opened the prelude to British modernist art,but also,even more importantly,triggered a series of reflections on the judgment of artistic value.This point,both then and now,is of great importance.This debate was a key point in the history of the development of British painting and had a far-reaching influence on the development of western modern art.