Technique

Nocturne, Indianapolis Museum of Art

It was painted on a reddish brown ground on very coarse canvas. A conservation report found that the original paint appeared to be a typical 'Whistlerian soup, that is a layer of paint consisting of extremely finely ground pigments applied in a highly liquid state over one and more likely two layers of ground, one of which appears to be pinkish-red.' 1 The original paint is now so thin and rubbed down that restoration is virtually impossible.

Conservation History

Nocturne, Indianapolis Museum of Art, photograph, 1980?

A conservation report by the museum found that it had been '98 per cent overpainted.' 2 The buildings and their reflections, and the water in the foreground, particularly around the foliage and the butterfly signature, have been clumsily retouched with a greenish paint, which makes it difficult to assess the original appearance.

Frame

18-1/4 x 30-1/4" (canvas) 27-3/4 x 39-7/8 x 3-1/4" (framed).