Titles

One title is known, as follows:

• 'The Sea, Pourville' (1960, Arts Council). 1
• 'The Sea, Pourville' (1980, YMSM). 2

Description

A beach scene in horizontal format. A windy day, with pale blue patches between the grey and white clouds. The green sea is fairly calm, with white breakers inshore. There is a ship out at sea, at right. Three children are paddling in the shallows; two people, wrapped perhaps in towels, are at the water's edge at left; and a dog, a woman and child are walking on the beige/brown beach at right.

Site

Pourville, a seaside town on the French coast. The Terra Foundation for American Art website suggested:

'The high vantage point of The Sea, Pourville suggests that it may have been painted from the balcony of his hotel room at the Pavillon Madeleine. Staying close to his lodgings, Whistler worked with easily portable materials, such as small panels, that allowed him to paint outdoors and complete a work with relative ease.' 3