James McNeill Whistler

Pink Note – The Novelette

© Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Date 1883/1884
Materials Watercolour on wove paper
Dimensions 25.2 cm x 15.4 cm
Marks Signed with a butterfly at the centre right
Further information Collection: Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. www.asia.si.edu/
Margaret F. MacDonald, James McNeill Whistler: Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours: A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1995 (900).

Note The expressiveness of Whistler’s brushwork is evident in this watercolour. He suggested the fall of the curtains through vertical sweeps of the brush and the carpet using horizontal strokes. The unmade bed was painted using dabs and streaks of colour. Whistler concentrated attention on some areas of the picture, leaving others only roughly suggested. For example, the face of the girl absorbed in her book and the picture and fans above the fireplace were very delicately painted, while the little table was left undefined. The paper shows through here, showing how little worked this area was. Whistler’s pictures were criticised at the time because of their apparent lack of finish. However, Whistler cleverly used the bare paper to give white highlights rather than using white paint. His varied brushstrokes also gave the picture a vibrancy and freshness.