James McNeill Whistler The Bathing Posts, Brittany

Date Summer 1893
Materials Oil on wood
Dimensions 16.6 cm x 24.3 cm
Marks None
Further information GLAHA 46381.
Andrew McLaren Young, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1980 (409, plate 272).

Note Visiting Brittany in the summer of 1893, Whistler complained that the weather was perfect for tourists but too hot for painting. Despite this he painted seven oils, including this little seascape. The loose brushwork, particularly the streaks of white on the surface of the sea, perfectly suggests the freshness of a breezy day. Since his youth Whistler had been attracted to coastal resorts. However, he often concentrated in his paintings on the sea itself rather than on the fashionable holiday makers that absorbed the attention of other artists such as Eugène Boudin, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas. The sea inspired Whistler to work quickly, freely and expressively, with little attention to detail. Notice the two boats on the water. The white sailing boat is represented with two quick dashes of paint to suggest the speed with which it is being blown by the wind.

Related works Whistler to David Croal Thomson, [1 / 8 September 1893?], Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Pennell-Whistler Collection, PWC D/1/5 [GUW #08250].