Description
Whistler 1834-1903 Hungerford Bridge
The Hungerford Bridge is the most sort after of the 16 Thames etchings that Whistler did in the early 1871. They were known as the Thames set these focus on the Pool of London and show the artists extremely skilled hand and obsession with detail. Whistler is renowned in the art world and therefore, means his more famous paintings fetch millions of pounds and even his etchings have fetched hundreds of thousands of pounds.
I bought this work from the world renowned Tennants Auctioneers in North Yorkshire who stated they were completely happy with the provenance and I am 100% happy with Tennants judgment.
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Artists History
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (July 10th, 1834, July 17th, 1903) was an American artist, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. His most famous painting is Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (1871), commonly known as Whistler’s Mother, the revered and oft-parodied portrait of motherhood. Whistler influenced the art world and the broader culture of his time with his artistic theories and his friendships with leading artists and writers.
Whistler was inspired by and incorporated many sources in his art, including the work of Rembrandt, Velázquez, Japanese art, and ancient Greek sculpture to develop his own highly influential and individual style. He was adept in many media, with over 500 paintings, as well as etchings, pastels, watercolours, drawings, and lithographs. Whistler was a leader in the Aesthetic Movement, promoting, writing, and lecturing on the “art for art’s sake” philosophy. With his pupils, he advocated simple design, economy of means, the avoidance of over-laboured technique, and the tonal harmony of the final result.
During his life, he affected two generations of artists, in Europe and in the United States. Whistler had significant contact and exchanged ideas and ideals with Realist, Impressionist, and Symbolist painters. This for a time included Walter Sickert and writer Oscar Wilde. His Tonalism had a profound effect on many American artists, including John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase and Willis Seaver Adams.
