James McNeill Whistler

Sea and Sand, Domburg

Date Summer 1900
Materials Watercolour on laid paper laid down on card
Dimensions 21.6 cm x 12.9 cm
Marks Signed with a butterfly at the lower right.
Further information GLAHA 46288.
Margaret F. MacDonald, James McNeill Whistler: Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours: A Catalogue Raisonne, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1995 (1612).

Note This watercolour appears to be related to Whistler’s designs for decorative interior schemes, such as those for Aubrey House, which relied on the format of simple horizontal bands of colour. However, there is a greater subtlety about this watercolour. The sky is very expressive. Notice the gathering storm clouds on the horizon that merge with the dark and moody sea. Shallower water in the foreground is indicated by a change in colour and density of paint. Waves are suggested by ribbon-like strokes that do not quite cover the paper, giving the impression of white foam. The texture of the sand is suggested through a light dappling of paint over broad washes of pale yellow and cream paint. The figures on the shoreline are drawn simply with touches of black paint, with pink dabs to suggest bare legs. Whistler's combination of technique and colour gives a fantastic impression of depth and space to the work.

Related works GLAHA 46050-3.