From Library Journal
A number of books have been written recently on Whistler's etchings and pastels, but this is the first to examine these works exclusively from the periods when the artist worked in Venice. MacDonald, a University of Glasgow research fellow and the curator who wrote the catalogue raisonn? of the British artist's drawings, pastels, and watercolors, here examines the works that Whistler created in Venice, commissioned by the Fine Arts Society of London. The methods he used to achieve the formal effects of the pastels and etchings of this period are examined, as is the critical response to their exhibition in London in 1880 and 1883. MacDonald also discusses Whistler's unique approach to Venetian subjects of the time: he depicted the quotidian life of the city instead of just tourist views. Although this is a lovely, well-researched book, it has a very specific focus, recommending it only for academic or museum libraries supporting arts programs. Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll., MA Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
In September 1879, James McNeill Whistler boarded the Venice-bound night train in Paris. He was forty-five years old and bankrupt. What was to be a three-month stay in the Italian city-long enough to complete a set of twelve etchings-stretched to fourteen months. When Whistler returned to London, he brought back over fifty magnificent etchings and a hundred pastels, far in excess of the original commission. In Palaces in the Night, Margaret F. MacDonald looks at this key period in Whistler's career, examining his unique vision of Venice and his development of the medium of etching. She shows how he reestablished himself in the art world of London and Paris, turning disaster and disgrace into profit and prestige. Lavishly illustrated with some of the most beautiful and intriguing images Whistler ever produced, this book provides a fascinating account of a pivotal period in the artist's long and complicated career. Whistler's aim was to restore both his fortune and reputation with the Venetian etchings. To that end he included views of familiar sights like the Riva degli Schiavoni and San Marco, but he also captured quiet backwaters, secret gardens, and lantern-lit windows that did not appear in any guidebook. His selection of views and compositions, plus the expressiveness of his line and printing, differentiated his work from that of others, and MacDonald shows the process by which Whistler selected, shaped, and edited his Venetian corpus. He drew figures in distinctively Italian costume, each an individual, moving, gesturing, and interacting with other real people. An appendix of Whistler's letters from Venice provides an entertaining account of his time there and also deepens the reader's understanding of how the city challenged and inspired him.


About the Author
Margaret F. MacDonald is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Whistler Studies, University of Glasgow.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"The year 1879 found the American artist James McNeill Whistler in London, in the dire financial straits which led to his bankruptcy. In September, armed with a contract from the Fine Art Society for a set of twelve etchings, he sought refuge in Venice. With his model and mistress Maud Franklin he stayed there for some fourteen months. The unique and timeless beauty of Venice inspired some of his greatest works: atmospheric oil paintings of Venetian nights, a hundred vivid pastels, and fifty of Whistler's finest etchings." "This illustrated book discusses the whole range of Whistler's Venetian work. The views he chose ranged from quiet canals to Renaissance palaces. He found beauty in intimate scenes of ordinary life, drawing fishermen and bead-stringers at their work. Whistler's approach to Venice, and his selection and treatment of subjects, casts revealing light on this creative process and shows his changing artistic response to the city itself and to individual subjects."--BOOK JACKET.

SYNOPSIS

In September 1879, James McNeill Whistler boarded the Venice-bound night train in Paris. He was forty-five years old and bankrupt. What was to be a three-month stay in the Italian city-long enough to complete a set of twelve etchings-stretched to fourteen months. When Whistler returned to London, he brought back over fifty magnificent etchings and a hundred pastels, far in excess of the original commission. In Palaces in the Night, Margaret F. MacDonald looks at this key period in Whistler's career, examining his unique vision of Venice and his development of the medium of etching. She shows how he reestablished himself in the art world of London and Paris, turning disaster and disgrace into profit and prestige. Lavishly illustrated with some of the most beautiful and intriguing images Whistler ever produced, this book provides a fascinating account of a pivotal period in the artist's long and complicated career.

Whistler's aim was to restore both his fortune and reputation with the Venetian etchings. To that end he included views of familiar sights like the Riva degli Schiavoni and San Marco, but he also captured quiet backwaters, secret gardens, and lantern-lit windows that did not appear in any guidebook. His selection of views and compositions, plus the expressiveness of his line and printing, differentiated his work from that of others, and MacDonald shows the process by which Whistler selected, shaped, and edited his Venetian corpus. He drew figures in distinctively Italian costume, each an individual, moving, gesturing, and interacting with other real people.

An appendix of Whistler's letters from Venice provides an entertaining account of his time there and also deepensthe reader's understanding of how the city challenged and inspired him.

Author Biography: Margaret F. MacDonald is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Whistler Studies, University of Glasgow.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal