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Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Chelsea

Image credit: Tate

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Notes

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Painted in August 1871, this is the first of Whistler's Nocturnes. In these works Whistler aimed to convey a sense of the beauty and tranquility of the Thames by night. It was Frederick Leyland who first used the name 'nocturne' to describe Whistler's moonlit scenes. It aptly suggests the notion of a night scene, but with musical associations. The expression was quickly adopted by Whistler, who later explained, 'By using the word ''nocturne'' I wished to indicate an artistic interest alone, divesting the picture of any outside anecdotal interest which might have been otherwise attached to it. A nocturne is an arrangement of line, form and colour first' (quoted in Dorment and MacDonald, p.122). Returning from a trip by steamer to Westminster, Whistler was inspired, one evening in August 1871, by a view of the river 'in a glow of rare transparency an hour before sunset' (Anna Whistler, the artist's mother, in a letter to Julia and Kate Palmer, 3 Nov.

Tate Britain

London

Title

Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Chelsea

Date

1871

Medium

Oil on wood

Measurements

H 50.2 x W 60.8 cm

Accession number

T01571

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by Miss Rachel and Miss Jean Alexander 1972

Work type

Painting

Inscription description

date inscribed

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Tate Britain

Millbank, London, Greater London SW1P 4RG England

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