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The Guitar Player (M.W. Ridley)

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artwork Details

The Guitar Player (M.W. Ridley)
1875
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
drypoint, printed in black ink on old laid paper
12 3/4 x 7 13/16 in. (32.3 x 19.7 cm)
Gift of the Friends of the Museum of Art on the Occasion of their Twenty-fifth Anniversary
1993/2.4

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Description

The subject of this drypoint is Whistler's friend and fellow artist Matthew White Ridley (1837-1888).

Subject Matter:

The painter Matthew White Ridley was a friend of Whistler's and posed for at least two of Whistler's etchings (the other being "The Storm"). Here the rich drypoint hatching is combined with artistic printing--the retention of films of ink employed in an expressive way--to increase the drama of the portrait. The plate tone is used to convey shadow on the right side of the figure--an updated form of chiarscuro.

Physical Description:

A man with moustache and beard stands facing slightly towards the left, strumming a guitar.

Usage Rights:

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