James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)
Violet and Silver—The Deep Sea
INV-8408
James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)1893
Violet and Silver—The Deep Sea
James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903) →ImpressionismModernismpaintingamerican arts
Date
1893
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
50.2 × 73.3 cm (19 3/4 × 28 7/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Clara Margaret Lynch in memory of John A. Lynch
After years of painting seascapes on a significantly smaller scale, James McNeill Whistler returned briefly to a large-format canvas to capture a hot summer day on the water near Brittany, France. The artist likely painted this seascape while boating off the coast as a crewman steadied their vessel. This could account for the unusually broad handling of paint and thick touches of pigment apparent throughout the composition, particularly in the clouds and gently cresting waves. Here, Whistler demonstrated his enduring passion for the myriad relationships of color offered by the ever-changing sea.
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