how whistlers mother became a powerful symbol of the great depression - in pictures /

The Mona Lisa,The Scream, Andy Warhol’s paintings of Marilyn Monroe: there are few artworks so ardently referenced, and replicated and parodied long after their maker’s lifetime. James McNeill Whistler’s Portrait of the Artist’s Mother 1871,more commonly known as Whistler’s Mother, is another such artistic touchstone, and is showing in Australia for the first time at the National Gallery of Victoria. It’s accompanied by images and objects that give context to the US artist and his mother,Anna, in an exhibition that explores how the portray struck a chord with audiences during the Great Depression as a symbol of mothers stoically bearing hardship. Captions if by the NGVWhistler’s Mother is at the National Gallery of Victoria until 19 JuneContinue reading...

Source: theguardian.com