Artwork
Reading
Reading is an ink print by the Impressionist artist James McNeill Whistler. It dates from 1883 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
This 1883 lithograph, titled 'Reading', is the work of James McNeill Whistler, an American artist based in Britain. The print is executed in black on wove paper.
Subject & Meaning
The image features a woman seated in a chair, engrossed in a book. Her Victorian attire grounds the scene in the late 19th century. The blurred facial features and relaxed posture convey a sense of absorption.
Technique & Style
Whistler's characteristic delicate yet assertive style is evident in the lithograph. The simplicity of the composition and the focus on the figure recall Impressionist tendencies, which emphasized everyday moments and scenes.
Artist & collection
Artist
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom.
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