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

 

Nocturne

Nocturne dates from the early 1870s. It has been dated to about 1871 on the strength of the butterfly signature, but it has been so much repainted that it is difficult to date. 1


                Nocturne, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Nocturne, Indianapolis Museum of Art

                Nocturne in Blue and Silver, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard
Nocturne in Blue and Silver, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard

It is also dated from its relation to other paintings of a similar view, particularly Nocturne in Blue and Silver [YMSM 113], which has a similar signature and similar foliage in the foreground (though more fluidly painted), although Nocturne [YMSM 114] appears to show a dome rather than the spire visible in Nocturne in Blue and Silver [YMSM 113].

Notes:

1: Dated 'About 1871' in YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 114).

Last updated: 24th October 2020 by Margaret