Coast Scene, Bathers
James McNeill Whistler · 1884–85 · Art Institute of Chicago
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From the museum
In this intimately scaled seascape, James McNeill Whistler employed the sparest of compositional elements to evoke a coastal atmosphere. Broad horizontal bands of blues and gray suggest sky, ocean, and sand, with dabs of thin pigment giving economical, yet expressive form to around a dozen figures on the windswept beach. Whistler dedicated much of his artistic practice to capturing the mood and color harmonies of marine scenes. Coast Scene, Bathers was painted en plein air, a practice to which the artist returned in the 1880s. It marked a distinctive shift from his studio-produced Nocturnes of the previous decade.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Details
- Maker
- James McNeill Whistler (American, 1834–1903)
- Date
- 1884–85
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Dimensions
- 13.3 × 21.9 cm (5 1/4 × 8 5/8 in.)
- Place of origin
- United States
- Held by
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · Not on view
- Credit line
- Walter S. Brewster Collection
Image: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0
