James Abbott McNeill Whistler

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.