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The Little Mast, One of the ‘Twelve Etchings,’ or the ‘First Venice Set’

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artwork Details

The Little Mast, One of the ‘Twelve Etchings,’ or the ‘First Venice Set’
1879-1880
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
etching, printed in brown ink on laid paper, trimmed to platemark
10 1/2 in. x 7 3/8 in. ( 26.7 cm x 18.8 cm )
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
1954/1.373

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Description

Subject Matter:

Whistler was always finding interesting sites away from the large public spaces. This piazza, near the Casa Jankowitz, where Whistler lived in 1880, was in the Castello area of Venice. The vertical division of the composition provided by the mast, as well as the very vertical format of the etching, alludes to Whistler's interest in Japanese art.

Physical Description:

An open piazza that borders the water is dominated by a mast just to the right of center. In the foreground there is a group of figures, as well as in front of the buildings that form the perimeter of the square. In the distance is a pedestrian bridge as well as the masts of ships in the water.

Usage Rights:

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