Whistler’s mother is an interesting portrait in all its dimensions. The first thing a person notices when looking at the portrait is the fact that the color palette is muted and that gray colors have been used for the background. A closer look at the curtains creates certainty that they contrast immensely with the crisp, black and white costume worn by Mrs. Whistler. The inky colors accentuate Mrs. Whistle’s flesh making her adopt a puritan appearance. Geometric shapes have been carefully balanced with the animate shape of Mrs. Whistler. The geometric as well as the vertical lines in the portrait help in creating visual calm plus stability.
The exciting portrait can be seen as a component of settings. Despite the fact that the space in the portrait is shallow, an illusion of space has been created through cropping, this provides the sense that the room is bigger. Mrs. Whistler gazes to the left, and this helps in shifting the audience focus to a framed picture that is on the wall, the framed pictured hanged on this wall induce the audience to see the whole painting as a framed work of art. The visual interest of the portrait is further augmented by repeating pattern details on the floral designs of the dark gray curtain.
The recurrence of the indistinguishable and dingy color values; geometric shapes; vertical lines and the insufficiency of the muted patterns have helped to achieve unity. It is evident that the artist of the picture was not only interested in creating likeness for the woman in the picture, but in creating a portrait that inclusive of the whole composition. Overall, the portrait presents beautiful displays of both form and color.