San Biagio

James McNeill Whistler American

Not on view

San Biagio describes a working-class Venetian neighborhood east of the Riva degli Schiavoni. In the foreground, two small boats have been pulled onto the bank and drying laundry is strung overhead. Whistler used these details to establish a range of textures but devoted more attention to establishing a series of visual planes linked by a shadowed passageway. The composition progresses from the half-light of the canal into a dark tunnel and emerges into a brightly lit receding walkway punctuated by tall chimneys. A version of this print was exhibited in 1883 at the Fine Art Society then published in 1886 as part of the "Second Venice Set."

San Biagio, James McNeill Whistler (American, Lowell, Massachusetts 1834–1903 London), Etching and drypoint, printed in dark brown ink on fine cream laid paper; tenth state of seventeen (Glasgow)

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.