Titles

The suggested titles are follows:

• 'Blue & Violet, – Among the Rollers' (1893, Whistler). 1
• 'Violet & Blue – among the rollers' (1893, Whistler). 2
• 'Violet and Blue – Among the Rollers' (1894, Grafton Galleries). 3
• 'Study of the Sea from a boat' (1904, Copley Society, Boston). 4
• 'Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers' and 'Study of the Sea from a Boat' (1980, YMSM). 5

'Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers' is the original and preferred title.

Description

A seascape in horizontal format, showing deep green blue waves under a cloudy sky of pale turquoise and pinkish grey clouds. The waves are white-topped, and there are two sailing ships (one near. one far) on the horizon at right.

Site

The artist wrote to his picture restorer, Stephen Richards (1844-1900), that he had 'painted the panel out in the full sea.' 6

It was probably painted in Brittany in September 1893 (see The Bathing Posts, Brittany [YMSM 409]) although on 10 December 1893 Whistler wrote to D. C. Thomson of Goupil's, London dealer, that it 'was painted in Brittany a few weeks ago.' 7

The Art Journal described the three sea-pieces exhibited at the Grafton Galleries in 1894 incorrectly as having been painted the previous autumn on the coast of Normandy. 8 Geffroy was probably correct in saying all three (which he saw in Paris) were painted in the summer on the coast of Brittany (see Violet and Silver: A Deep Sea [YMSM 411]). 9