Technique

A Brittany shop with shuttered windows, Terra Foundation for the Arts

Expressive brushwork and clear colours distinguish this watercolour. Black and red dominate the colour scheme. The warm dark red of the shawl, a purple bag, and pale blue, are set off by rich washes of black. The technique shows the Whistler's increasing freedom in the medium. There are four or five layers of washes and details in the window. White body colour was mixed in to the tints of pink and green in the window on the left, the goods painted with fine, spiky brushwork. The precision of these little pots and bottles contrasts with the free washes elsewhere, with colours running into one another. The background is lightly washed with beige and grey, with several areas of paper left bare. The shutters were painted over the figures on the left. A grey headless figure with a spotty yellow dog in the centre were left unfinished.