  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  Within the tight confines of a wooden panel, James MacNeill Whistler harnessed the power of the sea. Late in the summer of 1893, at the end of an extended stay in Brittany, Whistler and his wife spent time in Br&Atilde;&copy;hat, a small fishing island off the rugged, northernmost coast. According to a letter to his picture restorer, Whistler painted Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers from a boat &acirc;&#128;&#156;out in full sea&acirc;&#128;&#157;; he feared that there was residue of salt spray on the surface. The uncharacteristically thick strokes and heavy impasto&acirc;&#128;&#148;notably in the depiction of the long, swelling waves or &acirc;&#128;&#156;rollers&acirc;&#128;&#157;&acirc;&#128;&#148;as well as the small dimensions of the panel and the limited color palette, confirm his claim. Although working quickly, Whistler conveyed the full scope of the experience: roiling, deep blue waves breaking into white crests under the violet clouds of a volatile, late summer sky. 
 
From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)
  
  
  Title
  Violet and Blue: Among the Rollers
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1893
  
  Artist
  James Abbott McNeill Whistler
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1834 - 1903
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  American
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
  ----------
  
  
  Medium
  Oil on panel
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 7 &Atilde;&#151; 10 inches (17.8 &Atilde;&#151; 25.4 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  American Art before 1950
  
  
  Credit
  Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  2006.87
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
