Fine Art

‘Arrangement in Yellow and Gray’: Effie Deans — History & Facts

Whistler here connected painting with music and literature, alluded to by the title of this piece. He used the musical term ‘arrangement’ to draw attention to the composition of colours. Later on, he added the literary subtitle ‘Effie Deans’ after the heroine of a novel by the Scottish writer Walter Scott.

The model posing for Whistler in this painting is Maud Franklin, who worked with him for more than fifteen years.

More Artworks by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

A silhouetted skyline of buildings and chimneys reflected in calm blue water beneath a pale blue sky with a pointed spire near center right.

Nocturne in Blue and Silver

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil on canvas depicting a serene night landscape.

Nocturne

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne: Blue and Gold–Southampton Water by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil on canvas

Nocturne: Blue and Gold–Southampton Water

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne: Grey and Gold–Canal, Holland by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil painting depicting a twilight canal.

Nocturne: Grey and Gold–Canal, Holland

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne: Blue and Silver–Battersea Reach, oil on canvas by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne: Blue and Silver–Battersea Reach

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne: Blue and Silver–Bognor by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil on canvas depicting twilight over water.

Nocturne: Blue and Silver–Bognor

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne in Grey and Gold: Chelsea Snow, oil on canvas by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne in Grey and Gold: Chelsea Snow

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Old Battersea Bridge by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil painting

Old Battersea Bridge

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Grey and Silver–Pier, Southend by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil painting depicting a misty marine scene.

Grey and Silver–Pier, Southend

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Nocturne: Black and Red—Back Canal, Holland by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, oil on canvas

Nocturne: Black and Red—Back Canal, Holland

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

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More Portrait Art

A young girl in a pale dress stands center surrounded by figures including two women, a dwarf, a dog, and a man with a brush beside a large canvas.

Las Meninas

Diego Velázquez

A European girl wearing a blue headscarf with a yellow drape and a large pearl earring against a dark background.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Johannes Vermeer

A man wearing a heavy brown coat and dark fur hat with a white bandage on his right ear clenches a wooden pipe between his lips as smoke rises.

Self-portrait with a Bandaged Ear and Pipe

Unidentified artist

Marie de' Medici stands in a lavish black and gold gown with a golden mantle and helmet, crowned by two winged putti above her, with armor and weapons at her feet against a dramatic sky.

Portrait de Marie de Médicis

Peter Paul Rubens

A seated woman in a deep blue and gold gown with a starched white ruff, holding flowers, against a red curtain and grand architectural background.

Anne of Austria, Queen of France

Peter Paul Rubens

Equestrian portrait of Charles Colonna, Duke of Marsi by Peter Paul Rubens, depicting the Duke on a rearing warhorse.

Equestrian portrait of Charles Colonna, Duke of Marsi

Peter Paul Rubens

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