2545 x 3363 px | 21,5 x 28,5 cm | 8,5 x 11,2 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
1875
Weitere Informationen:
Dieses Bild ist ein gemeinfreies Bild. Dies bedeutet, dass entweder das Urheberrecht dafür abgelaufen ist oder der Inhaber des Bildes auf sein Urheberrecht verzichtet hat. Alamy berechnet Ihnen eine Gebühr für den Zugriff auf die hochauflösende Kopie des Bildes.
In the Nocturnes, Whistler used new techniques of composition and execution. He utilized Lecoq's method of composing from memory. This system involved memorizing the primary forms of a scene and then transposing them to the canvas without visually returning to the actual motif. The technique results in a much simplified composition. Whistler accentuated this simplified vision by executing the work rapidly with thinned oil paint. Using his specially prepared "sauce", he was able to bring the entire canvas to a level of finish in a single session. Similar to watercolor, the resulting effect is one of fluid spontaneity, as can be seen in "Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge". Whistler's debt to Japanese art, specifically Hiroshige, is apparent in the almost abstract span of the bridge. Interestingly, the bridge itself is unpainted, Whistler announcing its form by simply leaving exposed the dark ground of the canvas. The contrast between the boisterous business on the river in "Wapping" and the placid river of this work reflects the great change in style that Whistler had struggled to perfect. Yet he never abandoned realism. Finding it impossible to reconcile his style of simplified composition with the bustle of river commerce, Whistler chose to represent the river in the quiet of night. This enabled him to again achieve a harmony of style and subject matter - Mark Harden
