Nocturne: Palaces

A dramatic view of two dimly glowing Venetian buildings reflected on the surface of a canal beneath a murky night sky, James McNeill Whistler's etching Nocturne: Palaces exemplifies the artist's printmaking virtuosity. The sparse arrangement of loosely drawn vertical lines defines but does not detail the noble facades of the palaces, which seem to float on the water; the densest concentrations of lines indicate shadows cast by the roof, window recesses, balconies, and doorways. A lone gondola floats near the bridge connecting the two buildings. While Whistler used lines to enhance a sense of depth in the water and sky, these are secondary to the overall tonal effects resulting from the artist's careful manipulation of a film of ink on the smooth areas of the etched plate's surface. Whistler varied the surface inking on each impression he printed, thereby creating slightly different atmospheric subtleties on each nocturne; no two impressions are identical. Such plate tone effects are unlike the dark areas created by a dense network of inked lines evident, for example, in the shadowy tunnel of Beggars (TF 1994.8), another of Whistler's Venice prints in which he used the unprinted areas of the paper to suggest highlights.

 Whistler made his first nocturne paintings and prints, such as Nocturne (The River at Battersea) (TF 1994.7), in London before he departed for Venice in September 1879. The Italian city's ever-changing light and shadows, shifting reflections, and peculiar atmosphere, which renders solid forms indistinct, inspired Whistler to further develop his individual aesthetic, characterized by a restrained use of line. When Whistler first exhibited Nocturne: Palaces at London's Fine Art Society in 1883, English critics praised the etching's poetic evocation of Venice veiled in darkness. In 1886, the print was published as part of  "A Set of Twenty-Six Etchings," also known as the "Second Venice Set." Generations of printmakers and collectors have admired this masterful print ever since. Its lyrical, atmospheric approach, which carries into Whistler's other Venetian scenes, contrasts starkly with more exacting views of Venice's typical architecture, such as John Taylor Arms's meticulously delineated etchingVenetian Mirror (TF 1996.1) .

American Treasures: Chase, Whistler, and the Prendergasts, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 26, 1996–January 5, 1997.

On Process: The American Print, Technique Examined, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 13–March 2, 2001.

A Place on the Avenue: Terra Museum of American Art Celebrates 15 Years in Chicago, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 16, 2002–February 16, 2003 (on exhibit extended run: November 2, 2002–March 2, 2003).

The Studio of Nature, 1860-1910: The Terra Collection in Context (L’atelier de la Nature, 1860-1910. Invitation à la Terra Collection). Terra Foundation for American Art with the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny (organizers). Venue: Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, France, September 12, 2020–January 3, 2021. [exh. cat. in French]

Kennedy, Edward Guthrie. The Etched Work of Whistler. Illustrated by reproductions in collotype of the different states of the plates. New York: Grolier Club, 1910. No. 202.

Fine, Ruth E. Drawing Near: Whistler Etchings from the Zelman Collection. (exh. cat., Los Angeles County Museum of Art). Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984. No. 60, pp. 134–35.

Lochnan, Katharine A. The Etchings of James McNeill Whistler. New Haven, Connecticut and London, England: Art Gallery of Ontario and Yale University Press, 1984. No. 201.

Melot, Michel. The Impressionist Print; Translated from the French by Caroline Beamish. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1996. Text pp. 187–88; fig. 209, p. 187.

MacDonald, Margaret F. Palaces in the Night: Whistler in Venice. Hampshire, England: Lund Humphries, 2001. Text pp. 71, 84, 115, 120, 124, 137; fig. 126, p. 123.

Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. An American Point of View: The Daniel J. Terra Collection. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 108, 206; ill. pp. 109 (color), 206 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]

Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. Un regard transatlantique. La collection d'art américain de Daniel J. Terra. Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 108, 206; ill. pp. 109 (color), 206 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]Bourguignon, Katherine and Valerie Reis. The Studio of Nature, 1860-1910: The Terra Collection in Context. (exh. cat, Terra Foundation for American Art with the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny). Paris, France: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2020. Text p. 53; Pl. 37, p. 103 (color).