Nocturne in Black and Gold

Nocturne in Black and Gold — The Falling Rocket depicts a fireworks show in the foggy night sky over Battersea Bridge, as seen from an industrial city park in southwest London. This painting was at the center of a public scandal and subsequent libel trial after the art critic John Ruskin, already not a fan of Whistler's work, accused the artist of throwing “a pot of paint” in the public’s face. To Ruskin, this painting appeared to be unfinished and contained no social value — accusations which, when it came to the then-current standards of Academic art, were quite true. After suffering a significant loss of income from Ruskin's critique, the artist defended himself by taking Ruskin to court, testifying that he didn't wish to imitatate real aspects of life, but transcendent ideals of harmony and beauty. The artist won his suit against the critic — but received only a single farthing in compensation.