Br. Maximilian Maria Jaskowak, O.P., on Whistler's Mother

"On this great feast day, when we remember the good and solicitous Virgin of Guadalupe, I am reminded of another, no less familiar, image. The reader may well identify the black-clad lady portrayed above as the mother of James Abbot McNeill Whistler. The painting, commonly known by the pithy title Whistler's Mother, remains the most important and perhaps recognizable work of American art residing outside the United States. Few artistic icons - such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Edward Munch's The Scream, and Grant Wood's American Gothic - impress us with the same intelligibility and profundity as Whistler's Mother. Just as the Mona Lisa dazzles the imagination with its purported mystery and evocative detail, so does Whistler's Mother speak to the viewer of motherhood and its enigmatic character. . . .

"The appeal of Whistler's Mother is, in my opinion, twofold: 1) its universal application: everyone has a mother and approximately half of us will become one; and, 2) its striking familiarity: Anna Matilda McNeill Whistler is reminiscent of all mothers, who gaze into the distance, pondering matters and concerns that only mothers can and will ever know. The painting is, therefore, an exemplary image of that sacred office entrusted to women of every generation: motherhood "

In a recent commentary, Brother Maximilian Maria Jaskowak, O.P., reflected on Whistler's Mother, motherhood, and Our Lady of Guadalupe as the ideal mother.

To access Br. Maximilian Maria's complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: Whistler's Mother (12 DEC 18)