Jun 21, 2005

Twelve Etchings from Nature: En Plein Soleil

Twelve Etchings from Nature: En Plein Soleil

1858

Part of a set. See all set records

James McNeill Whistler

(American, 1834–1903)

Etching on chine collé

Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.795.6

Catalogue raisonné: Kennedy 15; Mansfield 12

State: II/II

Location

Description

En plein air typifies the taste for French art and for the practice of executing landscapes out of doors. Whistler referred to the Twelve Etchings from Nature as the "French Set," so-called because the chief sources of inspiration were to be found in the avant-garde French art of the day. Working from a low vantage point, Whistler placed his model on the crest of a hill with a distant town and poplar tree behind her. The bright play of sun on her face, the veiled half-shadow cast by the parasol, the wind-whipped fringe and grasses all contribute to the immediacy of the scene and to the artist’s developing powers to capture nuances of his subject.

See also
Collection: 
PR - Etching
Department: 
Prints
Type of artwork: 
Print

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.