A Street in Venice
James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
1879-1880
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1904.86a-c
Tags
American ArtCharles Lang Freer collectionUnited States
About this artwork
The bare tree leaning over the wall on the right together with the very limited range of color, suggest that this drawing was completed during the winter of 1879–80, near the beginning of Whistler's fourteen month stay in Venice. Whistler used bright whites and the palest blues and pinks to suggest the snapping of drying laundry on a cold day. The pastel is unsigned and probably was not included in the 1881 Fine Art Society exhibition.