Whistler’s Woman in White: Joanna Hiffernan ★★★★ Royal Academy of Arts | Feb 26 - May 22, 2022


After the iconic Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother (1871) commonly known as Whistler's Mother, Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl (1862) is probably James McNeill Whistler's most famous painting. It has been a source of ongoing public fascination and this exhibition focusses on Whistler's professional and personal relationship with the model and his muse, Joanna Hiffernan. However, we also see how Whistler was influenced by other artists such as Hiroshige and Courbet, and how in turn his chromatic studies inspired other painters such as Klimt and Millais. This compact, yet captivating, show touches on a number of subjects, but at the core are the three paintings of Hiffernan. The works, Symphony in White, No. 2: The Little White Girl (1864) and Symphony in White, No. 3 (1865-67) are brought together with their predecessor to set up a complex conversation which we found totally absorbing. We were also struck by Courbet's three portraits of Hiffernan. In none of the six works does the model return the viewer's gaze, but for us, the wistful, almost ethereal atmosphere of Whistler's work provides an intriguing contrast to Courbet's more down-to-earth response to Hiffernan's allure. The exhibition also includes a sampling of Whistler's other paintings, prints and drawings, as well as interesting documents such as his will. But most importantly, it brings together nearly all of Whistler’s depictions of Hiffernan. For more than twenty years she was his source of inspiration, and the works that resulted from this collaboration not only invite the viewer into the world of their relationship, but also into a compelling artistic experimentation.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Image: James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Wapping, 1860–64. Oil on canvas, 72 x 101.8 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington, John Hay Whitney Collection

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD, UK

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

The Little Big Things ★★★★ @sohoplace | Sep 2 - Nov 25, 2023

Image
When he was seventeen, Henry Fraser suffered a life changing accident whilst holidaying in Portugal. The rugby playing teen became paralysed from the shoulders down, and this exuberantly upbeat and funny musical traces how he and his family dealt with that adversity. Based on Fraser's memoir, the show deals with the denial, regret and blame that inevitably follow in the wake of such an accident, but ultimately it celebrates the emergence of a new more introspective Henry who is an artist and who is able to face the future with confidence. Fraser's role is divided between two actors. Post-accident Henry, perceptively played by Ed Larkin, is shadowed by a wonderfully energetic Jonny Amies who, as pre-accident Henry, haunts the former with the suggestion of "what might have been." The acceptance and integration of these two selves becomes a powerful drama, bolstered by the terrific score of Nick Butcher and Tom Ling and the extraordinary choreography of Mark Smith. Songs
Full Details »

Rebecca ★★★ Charing Cross Theatre | Sep 4 - Nov 18, 2023

Image
Premiering in Vienna in 2006, Rebecca , the musical, which is based on Daphne du Maurier's Gothic tale, has been performed in twelve countries and viewed by over twenty-one million people worldwide. The show is still running in Vienna and the Korean production garnered several awards. Unfortunately, the scaled down version at the Charing Cross Theatre probably doesn't do this international hit justice. Du Maurier's story certainly offers the opportunity for some spectacular effects, but in this production it all seems rather ho-hum. The opulence and mystery of Manderley is missing and the foggy beach scene borders on embarrassing. Those looking for the atmosphere and dark allure of Du Maurier's book, or Hitchcock's film, will be disappointed, but Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay's score has some real highlights. The wistful "Last Night I dreamt of Manderley" is quite haunting and the powerful "Rebecca" is a genuine showstopper. For us, the p
Full Details »

Strategic Love Play ★★★ Soho Theatre | September 6 - 23, 2023

Image
First dates are a minefield and this one is certainly explosive! Woman, played by Letty Thomas, wants to skip the banter, and she delivers an acerbic diatribe on the falsity of the conventions and stratagems of the dating experience. There is certainly lots of humour in her insights, but her aggression and obvious self-hate have an uncomfortable edge. On the other hand, Man, played by Archie Backhouse, is trying to apologise his way into a relationship in which he can just relax. While it might seem that they are incompatible, she, nevertheless, proposes that they could establish a relationship. Her insistence on "truth" and his desire to please hardly seem to be much of a basis for getting together, but their dysfunctions might prove compatible. The second half of the play is then a catalogue of the goals they have for being a couple and the compromises they could make in a co-dependency. The generic naming of the characters suggests that there is a universality in their exp
Full Details »

Private Lives ★★★★ Ambassadors Theatre | Aug 31 - Nov 25, 2023

Image
Noël Coward's delicious mixture of wit and sentiment still provokes laughter and delight in this beautifully polished production directed by Christopher Luscombe. The first rate cast headed by Nigel Havers as Elyot and Patricia Hodge as Amanda manage to squeeze every nuance out of Coward's arch commentary on the pleasures and perils of lives lived passionately. As the divorced couple who accidentally meet while they are honeymooning with new partners, Havers and Hodge display virtuoso skills as they deliver Coward's intricately crafted dialogue. They also skilfully manage to communicate the barely controlled ardour that underlies their brittle interactions. Supporting these bravura portrayals, and playing the new spouses of this tempestuous pair, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart as Victor and Natalie Walter as Sybil also put in first rate performances. They are spot on as the conformist and unimaginative foils to the volatile duo. If there is any issue here, it is when Coward's ch
Full Details »

The Father and the Assassin ★★★★ National Theatre | Sep 8 - Oct 14

Image
Playwright, Anupama Chandrasekhar weaves together two stories: the history of India's struggle for freedom under the inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi and the personal development and radicalisation of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of the father of independence. The two are intertwined, but tenuously connected. The former deals with the struggle between Gandhi's pluralistic vision for the subcontinent and the belief of Jinnah and Nehru that the future requires a division of the country along sectarian lines. While the political history is interesting, none of these characters are really developed, nor is their debate presented in a way which really captures the audience's imagination. On the other hand, the more personal story of Godse and his evolving intolerance is quite engrossing. Raised as a girl by parents who have made a bargain with the goddess, Durga, after the loss of three male children, Godse, as engagingly portrayed by Hiran Abeysekera, is both humorous and charming
Full Details »

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre ★★★★ Sadler's Wells Theatre | September 5 - 16, 2023

Image
It is difficult to believe that Alvin Ailey's extraordinary company is celebrating its 65th anniversary. This year, with a combination of new work and old favourites, it brings four different shows to London: Contemporary Voices , Modern Masters , Ailey Classics and 21st Century Creations . The first three programmes include Alvin Ailey's unforgettable choreography of "Revelations." Almost inevitably for us, this was the highlight of the Contemporary Voices program. Ailey's ability to capture the longing and exuberance of such spirituals as "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel," "Sinner Man," and "Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham" remains both enthralling and inspirational. It's an almost impossible act to follow, and for all three programmes, in which has been included, it has wisely been selected as the concluding piece. For us, the opening , Kyle Abraham's "Are You in Your Feelings," has some engaging and ext
Full Details »

The Garden of Words ★★★ Park Theatre | Aug 10 - Sep 9, 2023

Image
The subtle and sensitive animé of Makoto Shinkai tells the story of two outsiders who meet in a park and dream of escaping their dreary and disappointing lives. Takao Akizuki (Hiroki Berrecloth) is a teenage student with a troubled home situation who dreams of designing shoes. Yukari Yukino (Aki Nakagawa) is a teacher who drinks and eats chocolate to cope with her personal and professional problems. The two develop a relationship while finding solace in classic Japanese poetry and in their secluded park hideaway during Tokyo's rainy season. The strength of this production is the atmosphere which is successfully evoked by Cindy Lin's set and Mark Choi's music. The plot, however, is convoluted, and the cast's assumption of multiple roles contributes to the problem of trying to fit it all together. Without a knowledge of the original, it becomes no small task to sort out everything that is going on, and there can be a real loss of focus on the central narrative as one gets
Full Details »

Infamous ★★★ Jermyn Street Theatre | Sep 7 - Oct 7, 2023

Image
Emma Hamilton is best remembered for being the mistress of Nelson, but her rags-to-riches and back again, story has a fascination all its own. Hamilton was a larger than life character who defied the proprieties of her time and who was a "personality" long before the infamous Kardashians. It is a remarkable story, but as with any history play, the challenge is how many facts does the audience need to know and how are these going to be conveyed. Writer, April De Angelis, squeezes in a lot of information, but it sometimes feels rather awkwardly inserted, distracting from what is probably meant primarily to be a reflection on mother-daughter relationships. Act I shows Emma as a wilful young woman who has risen to the heights of society and whose daring dismays her trepidatious, low-born mother, Mrs Cadogan. Act II contrasts an older Emma, now suffering hard times but still opportunistic and optimistic, with her practical and disapproving daughter, Horatia Nelson. De Angelis does
Full Details »

A Mirror ★★★ Almeida Theatre | Aug 15 - Sep 23, 2023

Image
The premise of Sam Holcroft's new play is that the audience is attending a wedding which is really a ruse for seeing a subversive play deemed unsuitable by a repressive, totalitarian society. The play in question is about the role and responsibility of art in such an authoritarian society. The presentation is clever and provocative and the story has an artful twist, but at two hours without an interval it all seems rather drawn out. There is also the staging of two plays within the play which comes off as a bit too meta, if not redundant. Nevertheless, Holcroft is dealing with some interesting ideas and the production is a strong one. As the bureaucrat from the Ministry of Culture, not Censorship, Jonny Lee Miller puts in a powerful performance as Čelik. It is his job to massage writers into producing propaganda, rather than delivering a representation of reality that would be classified as dissident. But, when faced with the young writer, Adem, played by Micheal Ward, Čelik confro
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings