Crepuscule in Opal, Trouville
Artist: James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American, 1834-1903)
Date: 1865
Dimensions:
Frame: 23 3/8 × 27 1/4 × 2 3/4 in. (59.4 × 69.2 × 7 cm)
Canvas: 13 3/4 × 18 1/8 in. (34.9 × 46 cm)
Medium: oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of Florence Scott Libbey
Object number: 1923.20
Label Text:Art should be independent of all claptrap—should stand alone, and appeal to the artistic sense of eye or ear, without confounding this with emotions entirely foreign to it, as devotion, pity, love, patriotism, and the like.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Though born in Massachusetts, Whistler spent most of his career in Europe, first in Paris, then settling in London in 1859. Whistler painted this almost abstract view of the beach while on a trip to Trouville, France, with fellow painter Gustave Courbet (see paintings by Courbet in Gallery 33). The title relates both to the time of day depicted (twilight) and to the overall color harmony of the painting. Whistler, who advocated that art should stand on its own merits (“art for art’s sake”), often titled his paintings as if they were musical compositions to emphasize an analogy to musical harmonies.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Though born in Massachusetts, Whistler spent most of his career in Europe, first in Paris, then settling in London in 1859. Whistler painted this almost abstract view of the beach while on a trip to Trouville, France, with fellow painter Gustave Courbet (see paintings by Courbet in Gallery 33). The title relates both to the time of day depicted (twilight) and to the overall color harmony of the painting. Whistler, who advocated that art should stand on its own merits (“art for art’s sake”), often titled his paintings as if they were musical compositions to emphasize an analogy to musical harmonies.
On view
In Collection(s)