Nocturne: Palaces - James McNeill Whistler

Clarence Buckingham Collection

"Nocturne: Palaces" by James McNeill Whistler (1879/80) Etching and drypoint in black, with selective wiping of plate tone, on ivory laid paper.

Commentary

"Nocturne: Palaces" by James McNeill Whistler (1879/80) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. Themes to n otice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. James McNeill Whistler is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: James McNeill Whistler American, 1834-1903. The work is cataloged within a United States cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Etching and drypoint in black, with selective wiping of plate tone, on ivory laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image, trimmed within platemark: 29.7 × 20 cm (11 3/4 × 7 7/8 in.); Sheet, with signature tab: 30.7 × 20.1 cm (12 1/8 × 7 15/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/29567

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data