Image

RISDM 70-118-59.tif
RISDM 70-118-59.tif
RISDM 70-118-59.tif
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James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Beaching the Boat

Description

Maker

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903)

Title

Beaching the Boat

Year

ca. 1883-1884

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

watercolor

Supports

Dimensions

13.2 x 22.9 cm (5 3/16 x 9 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

LR:butterfly monogram in watercolor; verso, in pencil, C:No 21-

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Anonymous gift

Object Number

70.118.59

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Landscape and Leisure
19th-Century American Drawings from the Collection
Mar 13, 2015 – Jul 19, 2015

Label copy

Like many of James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s paintings, this view of a beach is more suggestive than descriptive, and presents an exercise in color harmony. Working from the bottom of the composition up, Whistler layered thin veils of broadly brushed color to make up the sea, ranging from delicate greens to cobalt blue. He balanced the blues with the subtler colors of the sky and beach. The figures and boats were painted next, with each figure’s shape carefully delineated. The heads were added last, when the paint was dry.

Whistler made this work while visiting the fishing village of St. Ives in Cornwall, England, in 1883-1884.

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Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903)
Beaching the Boat, ca. 1883-1884
Watercolor on cream paper
13.2 x 22.9 cm (5 3/16 x 9 inches)
Anonymous gift 70.118.59

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