Endurance, patience and amicability are qualities that are needed both in motherhood and when sitting for a portrait. With Mothering Sunday approaching we thought to highlight some of the artists throughout history that have depicted their mothers through painting. Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 by James McNeill Whistler, 1871. Arguably one of his most identifiable works, ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1’ or colloquially known as ‘Whistler’s Mother’ painted by James McNeill Whistler has numerous stories surrounding the origins of the painting. One story claims that the intended model for the portrait fell ill and could not attend, meaning that Anna had to step in and sit for her son. Anna McNeill Whistler posed for her son whilst she was living with him in London, when asked years later Whistler explained that “Yes, one does like to make one’s mummy just as nice as possible.” The Painters Mother Resting I by Lucian Freud, 1975-76. Lucian Freud began to create paintings of his mother Lucie shortly after the death of his father Ernst Freud in 1970. Intimate and melancholic, Freud’s portraits of his mother characterise perfectly the depression Lucie was experiencing after her husbands death. His mother sat for Lucian 1,000 times for ...