Titles

Only one title has been suggested:

• 'Santa Maria della Salute, Venice' (1980, YMSM). 1

Description

Described by Otto Bacher:

'the Salute and a great deal of sky and water, with the buildings very small. ...The clouds which appeared day after day were drawn in pastels... he took a big brush, mixed a general tone, and drew it across the buildings, next applying a general tone for the water. The sky was painted a blue which was carefully applied around the forms of the huge, white clouds.' 2

Site

Bacher and several other students and followers of Frank Duveneck (1848-1919) were staying at the Casa Jankovitz on the Riva Schiavoni in 1880, and Whistler also took a room there. It had a view of San Giorgio to left, then the Giudecca, Sta Maria della Salute and the Grand Canal, and at far right, the Doge's Palace at the far end of the Riva degli Schiavoni. Whistler made several pastels and etchings of the view from the windows.

Venetian scene, Corcoran Collection/National Gallery of Art

A view which answers Bacher's description is seen in Whistler's etchings including Upright Venice [232] and Long Venice [211], and in several pastels including Venetian scene [M.0744] (reproduced above), The Salute; Morning; blue and rose [M.0745], and The Brown Morning - Winter [M.0746]. However, none of these pastels have any pen and ink or watercolour or oil paint. There is also a tiny pen sketch of the view, Santa Maria della Salute [M.0735].