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Date 1866
Materials Oil on canvas
Dimensions 76.5 cm x 63.9 cm
Marks None
Further information GLAHA 46325.
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 (75, plate 58).
Note In February 1866 Whistler travelled to Chile in South America to support its war against Spain. He took no part in the fighting, but stayed on in Valparaiso until September, painting a number of views of the harbour. The unusual high viewpoint, the striking angle and upward tilt of the harbour in this scene, have the effect of flattening the picture surface. This device was derived from Japanese prints, which were constructed on different principles to western pictures.
The harbour pier is strange too because its is painted extremely
thinly. You can perhaps just make out figures, some wearing hats
and carrying baskets, carrying out their day to day lives. However,
they appear to lack any firm physical presence. The sky is also
painted thinly in delicate washes of purple, blue and cream. However,
there are areas of beautiful detail, such as the ships with their
sails and flags.
Related works YMSM 72, 73, 74, 76.
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