The Embroidered Curtain

Description

The Embroidered Curtain
1889
Etching and drypoint
Seventh state of seven (Kennedy 410)
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, 1954/1.407
The title of this print, The Embroidered Curtain, both refers to its subject and characterizes the composition’s carefully structured interplay of pale and dark areas filled with an intricate web of lines. The shapes of the windowpanes—the predominant geometric forms—are repeated by the upright rectangles of the windows and the similarly proportioned rectangle of the plate itself. The strictly frontal view, the cropping of the image, and the shallow space all contribute to the highly abstract effect. Even Whistler’s butterfly signature at the upper left, always used as an opportunity to insert a decorative element, is treated in much the same way as the reliefs set into the fabric of the brick second story. The dark aquatic environment conveyed through the intricate line work is enhanced by the use of warm black or brown ink.