L2L Whistler vs. Wilde

Whistler vs. Wilde

An L2L “Great Debate”

What is art? American-turned-British artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler not only created visual masterpieces but also contemplated a philosophy of art that he frequently publicized through lectures. Irish author and all-around-raconteur Oscar Wilde attended one of those discourses but did not fully agree with Whistler’s take on their shared credo of “art for art’s sake.” Through periodicals of their day, the two men aimed broadsides at each other and the nuances of their ideas. This week, in a Listening to Literature “Great Debate,” Leigh, P. T., and Dr. C examine the Wilde–Whistler correspondence and try to determine what art really is …