Whistler, James Abbott McNeill (1834-1903)
Alone with the Tide (Coast of Brittany)
1861
Oil on canvas, 87.3 x 115.6 cm
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford
James Abbott McNeill Whistler painted this seascape in Brittany, on the northwest coast of France. He focused on the rugged coastline and the local people in an effort to explore his emerging interest in color harmonies. The earthy, brown rocks and sand are balanced by the sunlit sky and bright blue sea. A woman wearing a traditional Breton costume is carefully posed so that her white cap and kerchief echo the frothy, cresting waves. Whistler was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, but enjoyed a cosmopolitan upbringing. As a boy, he lived in Russia and took private art lessons. His family then moved to England before settling in Connecticut. Whistler enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point but was dismissed for poor grades. In 1855, he moved to Paris to study art, never to return to the United States. This painting was the first work of art purchased for the Wadsworth Atheneum through a bequest created by Mrs. Susie Healy Camp in honor of her father. (WA)