Green & Silver - The Bright Sea, Dieppe (Primary Title)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, American, 1834 - 1903 (Artist)
One of the most remarkable artists of his day, Whistler crafted a unique style born of an intellectual and visceral response to the harmonious relationships between color, light, and form in space that, when properly distilled, affected a poetic ideal. Here, a French coastal landscape is divided into three geometric spaces precisely defining the painting’s interrelated subjects: the subtly tinted sky, the blue-green sea, and the ocher beach scattered with figures. The forms, created from daubs and strokes of black ink, pepper the seascape’s soft washes of color, while a high horizon intensifies the flat, vertical perspective. The combination invokes the decorative qualities of the aesthetic movement and its particular interest in Japanese art.
at center right: artist's butterfy device, twice
James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin Collection
MacDonald no. 893.
"American Art from the McGlothlin Collection" Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (1 May - 18 July 2010).
"Capturing Beauty: American Impressionist & Realist Paintings from the McGlothlin Collection," Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (19 May-18 September, 2005).
"J.A. McNeill Whistler," Lyman Allyn Museum, New London, Connecticut (May - June 1949): no. 43, as "The Beach at Dieppe."
"Whistler 1834-1903 Loan Exhibition," Macbeth Gallery, New York (April - May 1947): no. 36.
"'Notes'-'Harmonies'-'Nocturnes,'" Messrs. Dowdeswell, London (May 1886): no. 62.
"Capturing Beauty: American Impressionist & Realist Paintings from the McGlothlin Collection," Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (19 May-18 September, 2005).
"J.A. McNeill Whistler," Lyman Allyn Museum, New London, Connecticut (May - June 1949): no. 43, as "The Beach at Dieppe."
"Whistler 1834-1903 Loan Exhibition," Macbeth Gallery, New York (April - May 1947): no. 36.
"'Notes'-'Harmonies'-'Nocturnes,'" Messrs. Dowdeswell, London (May 1886): no. 62.
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
