At Sea
probably 1901
Medium
pen and brown ink on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 15.2 × 9.6 cm (6 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8818
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *At Sea*, likely created around 1901, captures the artist’s late-career mastery in a intimate drawing executed in pen and brown ink onove paper. Measuring just 15.2 × 9.6 cm, this compact work from the National Gallery of Art’s Rosenwald Collection exemplifies Whistler’s lifelong fascination with evoking mood over literal detail. As a pioneer of the Aesthetic movement, Whistler championed “art for art’s sake prioritizing harmony of tone, form, and suggestion—principles evident in this subtle seascape. The brown ink lends a warm, atmospheric quality, allowing Whistler ...
About the Artist
James McNeill Whistler · 1834–1903
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American-born painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and pioneer of Tonalism and Japonisme. He revolutionized art by championing "art for art's sake" and treating paintings as visual equivalents of musical compositions, titling works as "arrangements," "harmonies," and "nocturnes" to emphasize formal qualities o...