The Tiny Pool
[1879]
Medium
Etching and drypoint, printed in black ink on ivory laid paper; third state of three (Glasgow)
Dimensions
Plate: 3 7/8 × 2 9/16 in. (9.8 × 6.5 cm) Sheet: 8 in. × 6 5/16 in. (20.3 × 16.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.76
Tags
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler’s *The Tiny Pool* (1879) captures the intimate tranquility of Venice’s hidden waterways, a motif from the artist’s transformative visit to the city that year. Exiled from London after a high-profile libel trial, Whistler arrived in Venice with limited resources, producing around 50 groundbreaking etchings that revitalized his career. This small-scale print, featuring boats gently nestled in a narrow canal, exemplifies his shift toward subtle, atmospheric compositions inspired by Japanese prints and the Aesthetic movement’s mantra of “art for art’s sake.” Printed in blac...
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...