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

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M.0505
Study for the portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander

Artist: James McNeill Whistler
Date: 1872
Collection: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Accession Number: 2015
Medium: pastel
Support: brown wove paper
Size: 5 1/8 x 3 7/8" (130 x 98 mm)
Signature: none
Inscription: none

Study for the portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander

Composition

Study for the portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander, Fitzwilliam Museum
Study for the portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander, Fitzwilliam Museum
Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander, Tate Britain
Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander, Tate Britain

This is a study for the composition of Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander [YMSM 129].

Technique

Study for the portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander, Fitzwilliam Museum
Study for the portrait of Miss Cicely Alexander, Fitzwilliam Museum

This figure was drawn with bold strokes on the rough paper; the floor and background were drawn more evenly, possibly with the side of the pastel, possibly rubbed for a smoother effect. There are pentimenti on the legs, and the face has no features, yet the figure is drawn confidently and the total effect is vivid, conveying the impact of the painting.

Last updated: 22nd May 2021 by Margaret