Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers

ca. 1893

James Abbott McNeill Whistler American, 1834 - 1903

On View

American, Level 2, West Wing

Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers: 1 of Collection Gallery

Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers: 2 of Collection Gallery

Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers: 3 of Collection Gallery

Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers: 4 of Collection Gallery

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About the Artwork

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Catalogue Raisonné

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About the Artwork

Within the tight confines of a wooden panel, James MacNeill Whistler harnessed the power of the sea. Late in the summer of 1893, at the end of an extended stay in Brittany, Whistler and his wife spent time in Bréhat, a small fishing island off the rugged, northernmost coast. According to a letter to his picture restorer, Whistler painted Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers from a boat “out in full sea”; he feared that there was residue of salt spray on the surface. The uncharacteristically thick strokes and heavy impasto—notably in the depiction of the long, swelling waves or “rollers”—as well as the small dimensions of the panel and the limited color palette, confirm his claim. Although working quickly, Whistler conveyed the full scope of the experience: roiling, deep blue waves breaking into white crests under the violet clouds of a volatile, late summer sky. From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)

Title Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers

Artwork Date ca. 1893

Artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Life Dates 1834 - 1903

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Oil on panel

Dimensions Overall: 7 × 10 inches (17.8 × 25.4 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department American Art before 1950

Credit Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2006.87

Markings

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Provenance

2006-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers, ca. 1893, oil on panel. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 2006.87.