“I did not fully understand the restraint expressed in James McNeill Whistler’s paintings until I read ‘Whistler’s Rooms.’ Neither did I realize the painter had completed numerous interior design commissions during his lifetime. Before reading Paul P.’s Story, Whistler’s paintings felt like an invitation into another realm: sirens tempting me into a blurrier, softer existence with fewer boundaries. After learning of Whistler’s exceedingly minimal approach to built interiors, my sensuous interpretation of his work gained another dimension.

“Paul P. writes that Whistler replaced the cluttered salon-style hanging that dominated the 19th century with paintings hung on an even line, replacing nameplates with more discreet checklists. ‘Furniture, flowers, and floor coverings were all part of a complex design within a unified color scheme that came to define the exhibitions…where every detail was part of a harmonious orchestration, down to the livery of the gallery attendant,’ says P. He describes Whistler’s domestic interiors as ‘sparse,’ ‘pure,’ and ‘economical,’ though his paintings strike me as emotional, charged by memory and feeling.

“Whistler’s ability to hold and evoke these dualities suggests that there is a way to be both direct and romantic, a compelling image to imagine.”