James McNeill Whistler

Grey and Silver: The Thames

Date c.1872
Materials Oil on canvas
Dimensions 61.3 cm x 46.1 cm
Marks None
Further information GLAHA 46332.
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 (121, plate 80).

Note This painting looks dull on quick inspection but take a closer look and you will see it come alive. On the right Hungerford Bridge can be seen. Notice the shapes of barges, a sailboat and factory chimneys on the distant shore. Whistler gives the river a mysterious and poetic quality by making the outlines of objects indistinct. He uses a thin, liquid paint to depict the glassy surface of the water and a thin shadow of paint to suggest the reflections of sail and chimneys. Notice the lively cloudy sky, created with swirls of thicker paint. In the foreground there are a few shadowy objects that may be pedestrians and tree branches. The simplicity of the picture’s composition and the subtle use of colour give an effect of gentle beauty and tranquility, removing it from the reality of city life.

Related works GLAHA 49161, 49162, 49163, 49164, 49531, 49532, 49533, 49542, 49648; Chicago 161; Way 125.