PRINTS
Whistler, James McNeill
U.S. (1834 - 1903)
The Mast
1879 - 1880
Etching and drypoint on laid paper
13 1/4 x 6 1/4 in. (33.6 x 16 cm) sheet size, trimmed to plate mark size
Stimson Collection, gift of Dorothy Stimson Bullitt
FA 77.181

A rather eccentric theme which Whistler employed in his Venice etchings is that of a vertical object placed asymmetrically in a composition, bisecting the picture space. This motif seems to have had its origin in the Japanese print which influenced many European artists in Whistler's day. Another novelty entered Whistler's work at this time: the trimming of the margin. He disliked the irrational way collectors prized the wide margin, eager to pay more for a Rembrandt with a few extra millimeters. Old paper was increasingly rare and expensive as well. He trimmed the margins off, leaving only a projecting tab for his butterfly signature. -- Label copy for James McNeill Whistler: A Dreamer Apart, Reed Gallery, March 27 - June 15, 1990.