Fusco 1872

James McNeill Whistler created this etching, titled Fusco, with drypoint on paper. Whistler lived in a time when there was an increasing divide between high art and popular culture. As such, it is thought that he was eager to explore the use of classical forms and subjects while questioning the art establishment's role and criteria. Here, a solitary male nude stands next to a plain curtain, holding a staff. Whistler has returned to the classical theme of the male nude, which had been well established by the academy since the Renaissance. Yet the figure is more of an everyman than an idealized form, and the casual pose gives the artwork a quality of realism. The work's sketchy, unfinished aesthetic, which is further enhanced by the artist's loose handling of the drypoint needle, would have appealed to a niche group of aesthetes. To fully understand Whistler's aims, art historians research into exhibition reviews and private correspondence. This is the kind of work that allows us to consider the social conditions in which art is produced.