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

Home  > Catalogue > People > Charles Hazlewood Shannon (related works) > Catalogue entry

Design for a fan

Composition


                    Design for a fan, Colby College Museum of Art
Design for a fan, Colby College Museum of Art

                    Symphony in Blue and Pink, Freer Gallery of Art
Symphony in Blue and Pink, Freer Gallery of Art

The figures, particularly on the left, are arranged in similar poses to those in Symphony in Blue and Pink [YMSM 086].

Technique


                    Design for a fan, Colby College Museum of Art
Design for a fan, Colby College Museum of Art

The freely drawn pencil lines have a wriggly, sinuous quality, backed up by expressive brushwork, and elaborate, delicate cross-hatching, using small pointed sable brushes only 3mm wide. The figures are not completely finished, but the effect of movement is striking. The paper is glossy and the colours glow 'like illuminations on vellum.' 1

Conservation History

It is in good condition, although the white paint has started to oxidise, and there is minor water staining at the left and right edges.

Notes:

1: MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 392).

Last updated: 19th June 2021 by Margaret