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

 

The Sea Coast

Technique


                    The Sea Coast, State Hermitage Museum
The Sea Coast, State Hermitage Museum

MacDonald commented,

'The paint is as thin as varnish, revealing the grey priming. Each vigorous brush-stroke depicts a strake of the boat or nets, or a furled sail, It was probably painted in a single session, to catch a fleeting impression.' 1

Conservation History

The left and right edges are almost bare of paint, and slightly abraded. It is likely that the panel was inserted in a box, held by slats of wood, either for security when it was being painted, or afterwards, to allow it to dry.

Notes:

1: MacDonald, Margaret, 'James McNeill Whistler', Whistler and Russia, State Tretyakow Gallery, Moscow, 2006, pp. 16-57, at p. 46.

Last updated: 9th March 2020 by Margaret