Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket

Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket is James McNeill Whistler’s atmospheric vision of fireworks over the Cremorne Gardens in London. Whistler’s emphasis on mood and tonal harmony over literal representation famously led to a libel trial against the critic John Ruskin, who accused him of “flinging a pot of paint in the public’s face.” The case became a landmark moment in the history of modern art.