An artist’s style is the visual in elements that are essential an artist’s body of work and distinguishing that work from the work of other artists. A gimmick feature added with the sole purpose of drawing attention to the work or the artist while not adding anything essential to the core of the work. A gimmick is not by nature bad. It could be useful to create awareness of an artist and her or his work. The problem is that the success of a gimmick can overshadow the artwork and become the unintended focus both of the public and the artist.
James Whistler used his flamboyant style of dress, the gray “feather” in his hair and his outspoken persona to draw attention to himself and his work. Unfortunately for him and the art world, those gimmicks have cast a shadow over his work resulting in one of the 19th century’s great artists is still considered a minor character popularly know only for the painting of his mother. His is a cautionary tale.
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