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James Abbott McNeill Whistler

San Giorgio, 1879/1880

Description

Maker

  • James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1834-1903, American

Title

San Giorgio

Year

1879/1880

Medium

Etching and drypoint on cream laid paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • etching,
  • drypoint

Supports

  • Medium weight cream laid paper

Dimensions

Plate/Image: 21 x 30.6 cm (8 1/4 x 12 1/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed in graphite, on verso, on tab with butterfly monogram andimp. On verso, in graphite at LL: a24315.

Identification

State

3rd of 5

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Prints

Credit

Gift of the Fazzano Brothers

Object Number

84.198.31

Projects & Publications

Publications

James McNeill Whistler

The Catalogue Raisonné

The Etchings of James McNeill Whistler

The Etched Work of Whistler

Whistler's Etchings

A Study and a Catalogue

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Pilgrims of Beauty

February 3 - July 8, 2012

During his one trip to Italy, spanning fifteen months in Venice between 1879 and 1880, James McNeill Whistler produced numerous sketches, pastels, small paintings, and, most significantly, two sets of prints that were later published in London. Rejecting the labor-intensive and highly detailed veduta (view) tradition of Canaletto and earlier Venetian painters, Whistler built images with short, staccato lines, giving spare and momentary impressions of the city’s complex assemblage of architectural styles. Working outdoors, Whistler drew directly onto his copper etching plates so that the views, when printed, appeared in reverse. His style inspired other artists to experiment with printmaking in Venice and to depict unconventional subjects, such as the swarms of pigeons, beggars, and tourists animating the Piazzetta of San Marco. His depictions of lower-class subjects and unfamiliar views continued Whistler’s ongoing agenda of challenging conventional styles and setting his own definitions for art and beauty.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is San Giorgio with the accession number of 84.198.31. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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