James McNeill Whistler Nocturne

Date 1879 -1880
Materials Etching and drypoint: printed in black on laid paper
Dimensions 20.0 cm x 29.6 cm
Marks Signed below plate with a butterfly on the left; inscribed in pencil: "imp"; inscribed in pencil by Whistler below plate: "1st state - 1st proof - Venice 1879", inscribed in pencil on verso: "8"; Watermark: "VAN GELDER".
Further information GLAHA 46804.
Edward G. Kennedy, The Etched Work of Whistler, New York, The Grolier Club, 1910 (184, 1st of 5 states).

Note This etching is of Venice. It was here that Whistler fully developed a tonal method of printing, using surface ink to create differing atmospheric effects. Look how bare the first proof looks, the artist printing with little surface ink so that he could inspect the lines and make further improvements in subsequent states. Compare this with the etching in its 4th state in which Whistler used more ink to create a much richer and darker effect, more suggestive of night time. Notice how the centre is lighter than the edges, Whistler carefully wiping away excess ink from the buildings which are the focus of his design, making them appear to glow in the night. Notice how in the later etching Whistler developed the scene by including details not in the first. Compare the number of boats and the detailing of the buildings and their reflections in the two states.

Related works GLAHA 46803, 46805.