I can remember entering the room in the Grand Palais in Paris where Whistler’s Nocturnes were on display, as part of the TurnerWhistlerMonet exhibition that had come from the Art Gallery of Ontario. The exhibition was near its end, and most of the rooms had only a handful of visitors that evening. However, I was in for a sudden surprise when I entered the room with Whistler’s Nocturnes. That was where everyone was and with good reason. This show had collected nine of Whistler’s famous paintings of the night, works that had been so excoriated by famous 19th century British art critic, John Ruskin, that Whistler had sued him for libel. Whistler won, but only a penny farthing in damages. In addition, the pictures had been walked into court upside down and suffered Ruskin’s everlasting invective, so they were rendered unsaleable, leaving the artist bankrupt. However, 140 some years later, they are seen as a brilliant step forward in terms of modernizing art.
In the 1870s, James McNeill Whistler moved from doing landscapes and portraits into views of London made with the indistinct aspects that happen when night falls and the city “hangs in the heavens,” as he once explained. Originally called “Moonlights,” the name was changed when a friend, art collector and fellow lover of music, gave Whistler the idea of calling them by the musical term nocturne. In these paintings, the artist experimented with different ways of thinning oil paints to give them more of the fluidity of watercolors. Monet’s watercolors of the Thames from the 1860s were his inspiration there. Yet, in Whistler’s Nocturnes, like the one above, Nocturne Blue and Silver – Chelsea, the buildings are so indistinct that they might be anywhere in the world. They had been taken into the imagination and came to reside in some place beyond it, with only meager ties to a previous earthly existence. The tones are cool, fresh, crisp, very similar to the description of an unoaked Chardonnay, a perfect wine pairing for this painting.
Interesting how the mishandling of the delicate concepts involved in creating paintings and wine can literally leave a bad taste in your mouth. The overly rich oaking of Chardonnay in the 1980s and early ’90s gave all types of Chardonnay a bad reputation for tasting too buttery. However, vintners pulled back and balanced the oaking process to create a more drinkable wine without sacrificing the smoothness created during the oaking process.
Likewise in the painting above, a nocturne with the lights of a riverside park known as Cremorne, Whistler warms his blue and silver with flushes of yellow and hints of violet. The tonal changes indicate the coming of the night marked by human intervention – lights. The coolness of the blues is warmed and enriched by the yellow coming from the lights and their reflections upon the water. The colors are balanced to provide a different sensation, a view from a different part of the river, a slightly different time in the approaching night, but with the comforting presence of light, though artificial. The essence is quite similar to a fine oaked Chardonnay. It is balanced, easy, comfortable and comforting to drink, especially if you are admiring this painting.
And here is the piece that really sent the 19th century critics over the edge, a painting of fireworks in the night. Ruskin railed that Whistler had simply thrown a pot of paint at the canvas, and that being such a simple act, the value of the painting should be commiserate with that effort – near zero. Viewers kept trying to place the exact location of this painting. Generally late 19th century British clientele for art were fairly well-traveled, so many first thought it was a scene from Venice. Had Whistler lied and said yes, he probably would have sold this piece. But no, it was just a scene from along the Thames where revelers had lighted up a Saint Catherine’s Wheel and shot fireworks (rockets) into the sky to celebrate St. Catherine’s Day. When the viewers could not pick out where exactly along the Thames this took place, the painting became incomprehensible to them – no sale.
Of course the way the little sparks of light take off in a variety of directions with their remains drifting down into an indistinct darkness is a perfect rendition of a fireworks display in the night sky. So in an odd sense, it is quite a literal representation of the sparks, grayish smoke, and murky river water that one might have seen. Yet it was too far out for their time, though amazingly beautiful in ours. Whistler’s nocturnes were influencial, however. To see Whistler’s influence on another American painter, go to the blog at vernellestudio.com to read “Nocturnes: Remington Paints the Energy of the Night.”
For viewing Nocturne Black and Gold, nothing works better that a sparkling Chardonnay. California brags about the light, fresh, fruit and white flowers hints that are present in the sparkling Chardonnays produced there, calling them sun kissed. Of course, in France in Champagne, Chardonnay is one of the three principle grapes used in making champagne, along with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. In relation to that Whistler nocturne of the fireworks on St. Catherine’s Day, a sparkling wine made just of Chardonnay grapes, called a Blanc des Blancs, would be a perfect match.
Chardonnay and the various ways that it manifests requires more detailed and expert explanation, so for that I shall send you to Madeline Puckette at www.winefolly.com. There you can see charts showing the variety of colors the wine takes on, find out more about how each form of Chardonnay is made, and get a few food suggestions. Oh yes, food!
So what are a good wine and a good painting without good food?
I knew you would ask. Since Chardonnay has more or less recovered from the old days when it was over-oaked, much more consideration is given to food pairings. A crisp, cool, unoaked Chardonnay, just think of Whistler’s Blue and Silver Nocturne, goes well with creamy vegetable soups, lightly cooked shellfish, grilled fish, chicken or perhaps paté. Often an unoaked Chardonnay of this type will be called a Chablis.
If you go for an oaked Chardonnay because of that smooth, rich buttery flavor, then salmon with a creamy sauce, Caesar salad or other salads with a creamy cheese dressing, pork or chicken, and naturally, pasta again with a creamy sauce are good pairings. Of course, since there is a range in the oaking process, the fuller bodied Chardonnays work well with meat dishes and vegetables like corn, peppers, butter squash and pumpkin.
However, there are some types of foods that conflict. Chinese and Thai cuisines are not recommended, nor are smoked meats or fish, light goat cheeses or seared salmon or tuna. Dishes with a tomato base are better with an Italian red or white.
As for sparkling Chardonnay, well read the Of Art and Wine post, “Seduction and Vermeer’s The Glass of Wine,”on Champagne and human pheromones, before your proceed. In terms of good things to eat, certainly oysters, fried calamari, triple cream brie, stuffed mushrooms, foie gras, etc., etc., etc. If you are really up for fun, try it with a nice hot buttery popcorn, which goes well with a fireworks display or Whistler’s painted version.
So there it is, a little boost for good old Chardonnay now that it has rejoined the world as a perfectly good wine to drink with many types of food. Our states on the Pacific Coast produce a lot of fine versions of Chardonnay. For those I refer you to the West Coast Wine Club at www.cellarswineclub.com. Enjoy the wines and enjoy the paintings. They are divine creations.
Paintings by Whistler are in Public Domain.
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.
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©marjorie vernelle 2019
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