De mast
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
1879 - 1880
Medium
etching
Dimensions
164; 340
About this artwork
Schenking van het Art Institute of Chicago
Art Historical Context
James Abbott McNeill Whistler, the renowned American-born artist and leading figure in the Aesthetic movement, created *De mast* (The Mast) during his transformative visit to Venice in 1879–1880. Amid financial struggles back in London, Whistler sought inspiration in the city's labyrinthine canals and atmospheric light, producing over 50 etchings that revitalized his career. This narrow, vertical composition—measuring 340 × 164 mm—likely captures the stark silhouette of a ship's mast rising against Venice's watery backdrop, evoking the transient beauty Whistler championed with his mantra "art ...