James McNeill Whistler Dordrecht

Date c.1882-1883
Materials Watercolour on paper laid down on card
Dimensions 12.7 cm x 20.7 cm
Marks Signed with a butterfly at the lower right.
Further information GLAHA 46088.
Margaret F. MacDonald, James McNeill Whistler: Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours: A Catalogue Raisonne, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1995 (876).

Note This is an example of the simplicity that lay behind Whistler’s most successful pictures. Traditionally the focus of a picture would be placed in the centre. However, notice that the central area of this picture is virtually empty and it is in this section that Whistler pointedly chose to place his decorative butterfly signature. This painting is less abstract than some of his works and there is a definite sense of depth and space. Using the smallest touches of paint he created a boat on the water and windmills, factories and trees on the far bank. He showed an absolute control of his medium. Look how he suggested ripples on the water by allowing lines of paper to show through. The precision and delicacy of his brushwork, particularly in the blades of grass in the foreground, which appear quite stylised, suggest the influence of oriental art.