1872
oil
canvas
From the collection of National Gallery
Dominant colour
Nocturne: Blue and Gold – Old Battersea Bridge is a 1872 oil by James McNeill Whistler, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery.
Nocturne: Blue and Gold – Old Battersea Bridge is a painting by the American artist James McNeill Whistler, painted around 1872–1875. It depicts Old Battersea Bridge as seen from below. The blue tonality of the work is characteristic of Whistler's style at this time, creating a sense of atmosphere. The painting was discussed as part of the 1878 libel suit that Whistler brought against the art critic John Ruskin. In 1905, Nocturne: Blue and Gold became the first significant acquisition by the newly formed National Art Collections Fund and was presented to the Tate Gallery. It now hangs in Tate…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
James McNeill Whistler was an American painter with strong ties to France and England. A few years before the making of this piece Whistler's style underwent a transformation, combining elements of realism and formalism to create a new style now called Aestheticism. Many of Whistler's Nocturne paintings were done from memory or in studios overlooking the river. He felt that it was too difficult to capture the transient effects of light when working en plein air. Whistler wanted accurate portrayals of the river that were also visually appealing, tending to paint the river at night when it was…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This painting is of the old wooden Battersea Bridge seen from the River Thames. Chelsea Old Church stands on the left and the Albert Bridge to the right. The painting has a very strong blue tonality, with the shades used for the sky similar to the shades used for the sea. The cool tonality of the brown and gold shades used for the bridge pairs well with the overall blue composition. People can be seen on the bridge; on the water's surface, a boat and a lone man appear. Whistler exaggerated the height of the bridge. The buildings in the distance have lights on in the windows, suggesting it is…
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Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom.
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