Nocturne

The final piece is an etching by James McNeill Whistler, entitled Nocturne, which was done from 1879-1880 that depicts a wide-angle view of the coast with a boat departing out to sea (Important Prints). When examined closely it can be seen that the image is literally ‘scratched’ into the surface, but despite this seemingly crude technique, Whistler captures detail and shadow beautifully. Through the use of the scratched lines and minor shading, the landscape is represented in both an eerie and aesthetically pleasing way. Furthermore, Whistler depicts undefined shapes of ports and buildings along the horizon in a simplistic way, with the intent being to have the viewer’s own perception fill in the details. The ship on the left side of the piece and the building on the right balance each other, creating a serine and harmonious landscape. On a deeper level, the ship coming out to sea brings a certain mystery to the piece, and the shaded sky on the top and ocean on the bottom leave room for interpretation as far as the extended depth of the piece; this hints to the piece’s vastness. These elements give nature a large, powerful presence in the work, and hint to the natural extent of the ocean and sky.

James McNeill Whistler is sometimes referred to as a Post-Impressionist, but he is also the founder of Tonalism and was one of the central figures in the Aesthetic Movement. Whistler was a proponent of the credo, “art for art’s sake”, and in many of his works he strove to express the harmony and beauty of music through visual means. Whistler has been compared to Rembrandt as one of the greatest etchers in history, and this piece specifically influenced later etchers and dry-point artists and their artistic styles (James Whistler - Wiki). This work is like Field for the British Isles in that the foreground is clear, such as the boat heading the direction of the viewer and the sculpted figures in the front, but as one looks further back the shapes become less defined and distinct, creating a unique sense of depth and mystery. The simplicity of Whistler’s Nocturne is an element that makes this piece so beautiful, as it also depicts the sky and ocean as two indistinct, yet powerful presences.