NOTES
Making use of the diluted greasy ink wash that was used to cover the surface of a lithographic stone, James McNeill Whistler conveyed the dense atmosphere of a foggy river scene. Highlights that punctuate the London skyline contrast with the rippling texture of the rest of the print. They interrupt the haziness with puffs of smoke that marked the economic life of the city’s transportation and manufacturing. Privileging an atmospheric feel over careful description of details characterized Whistler’s artistic experimentation. In his prints as well as his paintings of such night scenes, Whistler sought to convey a harmonious arrangement, such as that found in music, without narrative specificity.
