Venice

1879/1880

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

This image captures a scene looking across a body of water towards a city skyline. The horizon is low in the composition, aligning with the distant line where the city meets the sky. Various buildings and structures, including a prominent domed architecture, dot the horizon. The artwork features delicate, sketchy lines, giving an impression of lightness and fluidity. The color palette is minimal, showcasing natural tones of pencil or charcoal on off-white paper with subtle variations in shading creating depth and texture. Closest to us are several wooden poles in the water, while in the distance, small boats float near the city landscape.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching with gray wash on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Julius L. and Anita Zelman Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 20 x 29.5 cm (7 7/8 x 11 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1984.14.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 213, state i/i

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Howard Mansfield [1849-1938], New York; (sold through A. A. Hahlo & Co., New York); Harris G. Whittemore, Naugatuck, CT, (L.S.1384a), 1919. Henry Harper Benedict [1844-1935], New York, (L.2936). R. L. Mayer (not in Lugt). Purchased from the Julius L. and Anita Zelman Fund for the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1984.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1986

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., February 1986.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 231.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret F., Grischka Petri, Joanna Meacock.James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonné. University of Glasgow on-line website at http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk. University of Glasgow, 2012, no. 213, state i/i.

Inscriptions

in grey ink at lower right: (butterfly)

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q74046031

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