NOTES
James McNeill Whistler transformed an otherwise nondescript scene of Venice, Italy, into a drama of light and movement with a range of etching techniques. His quickly hatched lines seem to dissolve both the solid walls and the liquid reflections they cast in Venice’s distinctive canals. He also selectively wiped areas of the inked copper plate, leaving heavier ink on the plate’s surface to darken the receding archway. Whistler continued to make changes as he sought to capture the interplay of buildings and environment that enlivened every corner of this scene. This is only one of a series of etchings that Whistler made from his observations during time spent in Venice between 1879 and 1880.
