Low Tide

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) · 1883-1884

Almost certainly painted in St. Ives, Cornwall, in December 1883 or January 1884, this is probably the painting titled Sands: Blue Note that Whistler exhibited in London in May 1884. Whistler covered the grain of the wood support more completely than in Wortley: Note in Green, but at the right he used the uncovered gray ground to establish tonal variations and texture. The broadly painted beach takes up both the foreground and the middle ground, setting off the intricate color harmonies of the multihued boats, houses, people, and chimneys that fill the background.