os nativegtkfor most usersthe default backend will be sufficient pylab mode also imports large set of modules and functions into ipython to provide more matlab-like interface you can test that everything is working by making simple plotplot(np arange( )if everything is set up righta new window should pop up with line plot you can close it by using the mouse or entering close(matplotlib api functions like plot and close are all in the matplotlib pyplot modulewhich is typically imported by convention asimport matplotlib pyplot as plt while the pandas plotting functions described later deal with many of the mundane details of making plotsshould you wish to customize them beyond the function options provided you will need to learn bit about the matplotlib api there is not enough room in the book to give comprehensive treatment to the breadth and depth of functionality in matplotlib it should be enough to teach you the ropes to get up and running the matplotlib gallery and documentation are the best resource for becoming plotting guru and using advanced features figures and subplots plots in matplotlib reside within figure object you can create new figure with plt figurein [ ]fig plt figure( plotting and visualization www it-ebooks info