The Doorway, from the First Venice Set
Artist
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
(American, 1834–1903)
Date1879/1880
MediumEtching and drypoint on laid paper
Dimensions11 1/2 × 7 7/8 inches (29.2 × 20 cm)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineBequest of William P. Chapman, Jr., Class of 1895
Terms
- Etching and drypoint
- Entrances
- Facades
- Plant-derived motifs
- Stairways
- Windows
- laid
Object number57.241
Label CopyIn his Venetian views, Whistler often employed a central void as the primary focus. Here the eye is drawn to a darkened interior surrounded by an elaborate architectural facade. The interior is a carpenter’s workshop with chairs hanging above, materials stacked or leaning about, and people working. In contrast, the elegant, even extravagant architectural details are of a Renaissance palazzo whose previous life is long faded. This is one of Whistler’s most complex Venetian prints—in all, it went through twenty states as the artist altered the number, age, and placement of the figures. His constant, however, is the woman on the steps, who provides the connection from the canal’s water to the interior space. (“The Touch of the Butterfly: Whistler and His Influence," curated by Nancy E. Green and presented at the Johnson Museum August 4-December 16, 2018)
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