The Square House, Amsterdam
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
Description
Square House, Amsterdam
1889
Etching and drypoint
Second state of two (Kennedy 404)
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker, 1954/1.404
The title of this print suggests that it was the geometry of the building that attracted the artist. The marks are detailed, and although it is clear what they represent, they form an overall texture into which the third dimension dissolves. The projecting balcony on the left, the wooden structure above, and the dark recesses, all seem to function as pattern more than to describe depth in space. Whistler wrote to Marcus Huish at the Fine Art Society, who had commissioned the Venice etchings, of his enthusiasm for the Amsterdam prints: “what I have already begun,” he said, “is of far finer quality than all that has gone before—combining a minuteness of detail…with greater freedom and more beauty of execution than even the Venice set…”
Subject Matter:
According to the Glasgow catalogue raisonné, "This is a view of the Oudeszijdskolk, in the city of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands. It shows the back of the buildings on Sint Olofsteeg, in the city's red-light district."
Physical Description:
A street facing onto a canal is seen at a very slight angle. The three buildings each have balconies (some enclosed), banks of windows, and doors at the water's edge. A dense network of hatching lines describe the brick facades, balconies and windows, and reflections.
Usage Rights:
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