The Gentle Art of Making EnemiesWhistler's "Gentle Art, " a classic in the literature of insult and denigration, might well be subtitled "The Autobiography of a Hater," for it contains the deadly sarcasm and stinging remarks of one of the wittiest men of the nineteenth century. Whistler not only refused to tolerate misunderstanding by critics and the so-called art-loving public--but launched vicious counterattacks as well. His celebrated passages-at-arms with Oscar Wilde and Swinburne, the terse and penetrating "letters to the editor," his rebuttals to attacks from critics, and biting marginal notes to contemptuous comments on his paintings and hostile reviews (which are also reprinted) are all part of this record of the artist's vendettas. |
Contents
The Action | 2 |
Professor Ruskins Group | 20 |
ART ART CRITICS | 21 |
Art and Art Critics | 25 |
The Art Critic of the Times | 35 |
The Position | 37 |
Serious Sarcasm | 38 |
Final | 39 |
Nous avons changé tout cela | 169 |
The Inevitable | 173 |
Nobleiie oblige | 174 |
Early Laurels | 176 |
A Further Proposition | 177 |
An Opportunity | 181 |
The Opportunity Neglected | 183 |
Nostalgia | 184 |
Balaams Ass | 41 |
The Point achnowledged | 43 |
Critics Analysis | 44 |
The Critics Mind Considered | 45 |
A Troubled One | 46 |
Confidences with an Editor | 47 |
Critics Copy | 50 |
A Proposal | 51 |
The PainterEtcher Papers | 52 |
Later | 54 |
La Suite | 61 |
A Correction | 66 |
A Warning | 67 |
Naïf Enfant | 68 |
A Straight Tip | 69 |
An Eager Authority | 70 |
An Admission | 71 |
Arry in the Grosvenor | 72 |
Encouragement | 74 |
A Remonstrance | 75 |
Propositions | 76 |
An Unanswered Letter | 78 |
Inconsequences | 79 |
Uncovered Opinions | 80 |
The Fate of an Anecdote | 81 |
In Excelisis | 86 |
A Suspicion | 87 |
Conviction | 88 |
A CATALOGUE | 91 |
Taking the Bait | 106 |
An Apology | 107 |
Jeux Innocents tn Tite Street | 110 |
A Line from the Lands End | 111 |
The Easy Expert | 113 |
PropositionsNo 2 | 115 |
A Hint | 118 |
A Distinction | 119 |
A Document | 121 |
Sacrilege | 124 |
The Red Rag | 126 |
A Rebuke | 129 |
Les points sur les i | 130 |
MR WHISTLERS TEN OCLOCK | 131 |
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN | 135 |
Rengaines | 161 |
Tenderness in Tite Street | 162 |
TO THE PAINTER | 163 |
To the Committee of the National Art Exhibition | 164 |
Quand même | 165 |
Philanthropy and Art | 166 |
An Insinuation | 187 |
An Imputatian | 188 |
Autre Temps autre Mæurs | 189 |
Talent in a Napkin | 193 |
The Critic Catching on | 194 |
Ingratitude | 195 |
The Complacent One | 196 |
The Criticflaneur | 197 |
A Playedout Policy | 199 |
An Interview with an exPresident | 205 |
Statistics | 211 |
A Retrospect | 213 |
The New Dynasty | 218 |
An Embroidered Interview | 219 |
The Pall Mall Puzzled | 221 |
Official Bumbledom | 223 |
Aussi que diable allaitil faire dans cette galère ? | 225 |
The Royal Society of British Artists and their Signboard | 226 |
An Official Letter | 229 |
The Home of Taste | 230 |
Another Poacher in the Chelsea Preserves | 233 |
A Suggestion | 235 |
The Habit of Second Naturts | 236 |
In the Market Place | 239 |
Panic | 241 |
Just Indignation | 243 |
An Advanced Critic | 244 |
The Advantage of Explanation | 245 |
Testimony | 247 |
An Apostasy | 250 |
Et tu Brute | 259 |
Freeing a Last Friend | 262 |
An Editors Anxiety | 264 |
Rassurez vous | 265 |
Whistlers Grievance | 266 |
Whacking Whistler | 269 |
Whistlers Grievance | 273 |
The ArtCritics Friend | 277 |
A Question | 279 |
The End of the Piece | 282 |
Exit the Prompter | 283 |
LEnvoi | 285 |
AutoBiographical | 288 |
Mr Whistler had on hit own Toast | 289 |
What Mr Whittler had on his own Toast | 291 |
A CATALOGUE | 293 |
DOVER BOOKS ON FINE ART | |