Whistler in Watercolor : Lovely Little Games

A focused investigation of Whistler's watercolours

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) reinvented himself through the medium of watercolour. At the time, excellence in watercolour was most often associated with British artists, and most notably with the work of J. M.W. Turner (1775-1851). Whistler's embrace of watercolour allowed the expatriate artist to present himself as an heir to the great Turner, while at the same time creating easily portable works that could supply an American market and, the artist hoped, help secure his art-historical legacy in his home country.

Indeed, it was the American Gilded Age industrialist Charles Lang Freer who would amass the largest collection of Whistler's watercolours, eventually bequeathing them to the Smithsonian in 1906. This publication is the first systematic study of Freer's amazing treasure trove of more than 50 watercolours by Whistler and includes figures, landscapes, nocturnes, and interiors. Providing both an art-historical context that looks into the contemporary reception of the works, as well as rigorous scientific analysis of Whistler's materials and techniques, this volume offers a groundbreaking look into an overlooked segment of the celebrated artist's oeuvre.

Details

• Author: Lee Glazer, Curator of American art, Freer | Sackler
• Hardcover: 286 pages | 250 colour illustrations
• Date published: June 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN:  978-0300243628
• Product Dimensions:  27.9 x 25.4 cm