James McNeil Whistler

I simply could not take my eyes off of it. As I pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the painting, my mind and body became overwhelmed with tranquility. It was absolutely incredible to recognize and be able to physically and emotionally experi

Whistler’s painting is truly a beautiful work of art and if it were to be packed away in storage to be made only available through the museum’s online catalog, the entire world would not be able to see first hand the genius that this man possessed. There are simply too many facets of this painting that are invisible unless looked at up close and in person. Clearly, the viewer could tell his choice of subject matter, and the colors used, yet the manner in which it was painted, specifically the brush strokes would remain invisible. They would not be able to tell that he applied some paint thicker in certain areas and not others. Moreover, if “Sea and Rain” was online available online, people would not be able to see the painting on the wall at its physical placement in the museum and how that affects their viewing experience.

ence the power that this particular piece of art exudes. The sky immediately captivated my attention, and soon lured me into the power of the painting. Its pale shades of blue, white, green and purple were perfectly juxtaposed to the ocean's muted blues, greens, and browns. Furthermore, the beach was painted as a huge expanse of pale yellow or beige. Interestingly enough, the tide appears to be high, again hinting at the very nature of this rather murky beach day, but it is difficult to determine the time of day. The mist and high tide leads one to believe that it is morning on the Normandy coast in Trouville, the town that greatly inspired his paintings in which Whistler lived during the summer of 1865. This particular style of landscape, filled with atmospheric nuance, acted as a preview of what became known as Whistler’s signature style, as portrayed in his later Noctures of 1870s, of London enveloped in fog and mist. Consequentially, the perspective McNeal uses places the viewer directly in the painting, almost as if s/h

Some topics in this essay:
Mary Jesus, Green” Whistler, WebMuseum Paris, Violet Green, Trouville Normandy, London Paris, West Whistler, Russia London, Thereafter Whistler, Centaur Gallery, “sea rain”, whistler lived, rain variations violet, whistler’s “sea, whistler’s background, rain variations, pulled chair, applied paint, normandy coastline, whistler’s “sea rain”, fashion whistler’s, variations violet,