Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

 

Nocturne

Technique


                    Nocturne, Indianapolis Museum of Art
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?
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).

Notes:

1: Conservation report sent by A. F. Janson, senior curator, Indianapolis Museum of Art.

2: Ibid.

Last updated: 24th October 2020 by Margaret