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FOR IMMEDATE RELEASE
May 1, 2006
Contact: Mark A Tullos, Jr.
Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum
(337) 482-1369
Water and Light: James McNeill Whistler's Etchings of Venice and Amsterdam
From the Syracuse University Collection
LAFAYETTE, LA - The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, UL Lafayette is pleased to announce an exhibition of 26 prints by James McNeill Whistler. Water and Light: James McNeill Whistler's Etchings of Venice and Amsterdam. The collection presents a unique opportunity to see early impressions of several of the artist's most important etchings. The exhibit opens on Friday, September 8 and will be on display until Saturday, December 30, 2006. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Whistler (1834-1903) was a major figure in renewing popular interest in intaglio printmaking in Europe during the mid-19th century. He had seen Hogarth's prints as a boy living in Russia. Later, Seymour Haden, his brother-inlaw, introduced him to the images of Hollar and Rembrandt. Exposure to these old masters acted as a catalyst on Whistler and was partially responsible for his choosing a career as an artist. He learned etching while employed at the U.S. Coast Survey, but only started to use the technique aesthetically after his arrival in Paris in 1855. Over the next quarter century, the artist continued to refine his etching technique. His style evolved from one based on Realism to a more personal aesthetic that revealed his highly adept skills as a printer.
His Venice work and his later series of Amsterdam prints illustrate two of the artist's favorite subjects: water and the believable portrayal of artificial and natural light. The two cities are famous for their canals and Venice was especially well known for its ever-changing light and atmosphere. Whistler went to Venice in September 1879 on a four-month commission from London's Fine Art Society to produce a series of 12 etchings describing the city. He overstayed his visit by 11 months and made 50 etchings and more than 200 pastel drawings. He returned to London in November 1880 and set to work pulling prints from the Venice plates. Included in the group were several of his now famous "Nocturnes," images that, through his careful inking and printing, melded water and sky, and light and dark, capturing the unique atmosphere of the floating city.
Whistler visited Holland often during his lifetime. In August 1889, he was invited to participate in the third exhibition of the Netherlands Etching Club. He accepted quickly and entered seven etchings. He and his wife Beatrice arrived in late August for a visit of a little more than two months, staying at the Brack's Doelen Hotel, from which Whistler made several forays into the city, searching for picturesque subjects. As was the case in Venice, he was drawn to the poorer parts of the city and etched several scenes around the red-light district. Many of his compositions have low vantage points because Whistler drew them while sitting in a boat on one of the city's many canals.
Whistler's Amsterdam etchings include some of the most avant-garde of the 19th century. The variety of line he developed pushed the medium to its technical limit. The lightness of his lines and their effect on the picture's development were like nothing else in 19th century printmaking. The images contain a delicacy that is not seen in the etchings of his contemporaries. The Amsterdam etchings were Whistler's last major contribution to the history of etching. In them, he synthesized the documentary quality of his early work with the artistic style of his Venice etchings.
There is no small amount of irony in the fact that Whistler, who is now considered among the best printmakers of the 19th century, had such an inconsistent reputation over much of his lifetime. The Venice prints were seen by the majority of critics as oriented too heavily toward "aesthetic" printing, thereby emphasizing the printing process instead of the delineation of the plate. One acerbic writer called the Venice prints, "another crop of Mr. Whistler's little jokes." Whistler saw the Amsterdam etchings as among his best works, observing that they combined the elaboration of the early prints with the Impressionism of the Venice images. The exhibition was curated by David Prince and a catalogue accompanies the exhibition.
HOURS, PRICES AND LOCATION
The new Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum is Acadiana's newest architectural landmark and one of the most distinguished museums on the gulf coast between Houston and New Orleans. The new museum is located at 710 East St. Mary Boulevard in Lafayette's Oil Center, with dozens of galleries, boutiques and award-winning restaurants nearby.
Museum hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday and major federal and state holidays. Admission prices are Adult $5, Senior Citizen $4, Student (5-17) $3, Adult Groups of 20 or more $4, Student Groups of 20 or more $3. University Art Museum Members - Free with current Membership Card; U.L. Lafayette Faculty, Staff and Students - Free with current I.D.
GENERAL INFORMATION
For general information, call 337-482-2278, or visit www.louisiana.edu/uam. For membership information, call 337-482-0817 or e-mail bberner@louisiana.eduMuseum
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