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Note in Pink and Brown

ca. 1880
Not on view
While visiting Venice in 1879–80 to make a series of etchings for the Fine Art Society, London, Whistler also made almost one hundred pastels, including this evocative example of an everyday scene along one of the city’s canals. The title of this picture reflects the musical vocabulary that Whistler used to identify much of his work. The pink "note" is the drapery hung from the balcony at upper left (echoed in the tint of the woman’s dress and some of the bricks on the building’s facade); the brown is the window frame above. One critic described the pastels as "perfect works" for their ability to evoke the essence of the city with only the "slightest sketch."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Note in Pink and Brown
  • Artist: James McNeill Whistler (American, Lowell, Massachusetts 1834–1903 London)
  • Date: ca. 1880
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Charcoal and pastel on dark brown wove paper
  • Dimensions: 11 3/4 x 7 1/4 in. (29.8 x 18.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.97.5
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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James McNeill Whistler
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