Two Doorways
1879–80
Medium
Etching and drypoint; fourth state of thirteen (Glasgow); printed in black ink on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 7 15/16 x 11 1/2 in. (20.2 x 29.2 cm) Sheet: 8 11/16 × 11 15/16 in. (22.1 × 30.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Francis M. Weld, 1941
Accession Number
41.15
Tags
Art Historical Context
James McNeill Whistler's *Two Doorways* (1879–80) captures the enchanting decay of Venice's waterways and architecture during the artist's immersive visit to the city. Created amid Whistler's celebrated Venetian etching series, this print poetically frames weathered doorways framing canals, evoking the city's timeless allure through subtle contrasts of light and shadow. Whistler, a pioneer of Aestheticism and "art for art's sake," transformed everyday scenes into harmonious compositions, prioritizing mood over narrative. Rendered in etching and drypoint—the latter adding velvety burr lines fo...
About the Artist
James McNeill Whistler · 1834–1903
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American-born painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and pioneer of Tonalism and Japonisme. He revolutionized art by championing "art for art's sake" and treating paintings as visual equivalents of musical compositions, titling works as "arrangements," "harmonies," and "nocturnes" to emphasize formal qualities o...