Campo Sta. Marta—Winter Evening

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Label

  Several progressive reviewers defended the sketchiness of Whistler's Venice pastels. Writing in the British Architect, E. W. Godwin admitted that "some of the drawings at first sight look like slight scribbles in blue, white, and black on brown or grey paper, just as if made in a moment to jot down a passing effect," but insisted that what appears "slight is the evident outcome of much thought, the scribble has no scribbling in it, and the colour is often attained by interweaving other colours, and breaking it all in lovely though measured spray over the brown or grey ground."

  Quotations from E. W. Godwin, "Notes of Current Events," British Architect, February 4, 1881.

• Provenance

  To 1917

  Mrs. Louisine Havemeyer (1855-1929), New York to 1917 [1]

  From 1917 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), given by Mrs. Louisine Havemeyer in 1917 [2]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See Accession List, Collections Management office, as well as Original Whistler List, pg. 16, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Whistler in Venice: The Pastels (January 19 to June 15, 2003)

  James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and the Landscape (May 11, 1984 to February 5, 1985)

  Whistler Pastels and Drawings, Re-arranged and some additions (January 7, 1924 to January 20, 1944)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mrs. Louisine Havemeyer (1855-1929) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Drawing

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1880s, 1870s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Havemeyer, Louisine

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Winter, Night, American Art

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Drawings