La Danseuse: A Study of the Nude
probably 1891
Medium
Transfer lithograph; only state (Chicago); printed in blue ink on Japanese gampi paper
Dimensions
Image: 6 3/16 × 4 3/4 in. (15.7 × 12 cm) Sheet: 11 13/16 × 9 1/8 in. (30 × 23.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Paul F. Walter, 1984
Accession Number
1984.1119.28
Tags
About this artwork
This transfer lithograph; only state (chicago); printed in blue ink on japanese gampi paper by James McNeill Whistler from probably 1891 represents the artistic and cultural achievements of its period. Printmaking during this era served multiple functions, providing affordable art for collectors, documenting contemporary life, and demonstrating technical virtuosity. The medium allowed wide distribution, making visual culture accessible beyond elite patronage. This example showcases period crafts...
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...