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Master Impressions from the UAMA Collections: James McNeill
Whistler
James McNeill Whistler
The four etchings presented highlight the visionary skill and
technical mastery of the painter and printmaker James McNeill Whistler
(1834 - 1903). While an American by birth, Whistler spent the majority
of his life and career in Europe -- primarily, in England. Whistler
first learned to etch in 1854 while employed by the Drawing Division of
the U.S. Coast Survey Office, which produced detailed maps of the U.S.
coastline; later in the decade Whistler began to devote himself
seriously to the medium. The artist etched on plates directly from
nature, and he typically completed the proofing and printing of the
etchings himself. Whistler believed "that in etchings, the means used,
or instrument employed being the finest possible point, the space to be
covered should be small in proportion." While his etchings remained
modest in size, Whistler's innovation in the medium rendered him one of
the most important etchers in the Western tradition. He produced more
than 450 etchings in an oeuvre that includes paintings, watercolors,
pastels, drawings and lithographs.
The first Whistler etching to enter the UAMA collections was
Annie, a gift from C. Leonard Pfeiffer in 1946. One of the artist's
earliest etchings, Annie (1857-8) portrays Whistler's nine-year-old
niece,
Annie
Haden. Another early etching, Black Lion Wharf (1859), was part
of a successful series of etchings called the Thames Set that
launched Whistler's reputation as an etcher. Both Sketch of
Ships
and
Exeter Street also depict views from Whistler's London environs
-- the former a scene along the Thames River, and the latter an
impressionistic rendering of a storefront in Chelsea.
Master Impressions from the UAMA Collections:
This series of small, rotating presentations showcases the exceptional
breadth and depth of the UAMA Old Master print collection. These
selections offer focused consideration of a particularly significant
artist or theme, and elucidate some of the most influential developments
in the Western printmaking tradition.
See the related exhibitions
Visit our Exhibition History page for information on past exhibitions at UAMA. UAMA: (520) 621-7567 
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