Artwork
Sleeping Woman
Sleeping Woman is a charcoal drawing by the Impressionist artist James McNeill Whistler. It dates from 1863 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Sleeping Woman is a drawing created by James McNeill Whistler around 1863. It is executed in chalk and charcoal on cream wove paper mounted on paperboard.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a reclining woman with her eyes closed, dressed in a dark, high-necklined dress. Her serene face and subtle smile convey a sense of quiet intimacy, suggesting a private moment captured by the artist.
Technique & Style
Whistler's use of delicate, restrained lines and loose, expressive strokes creates a sense of softness and texture. The contrast between the dark background and the figure achieves a sense of immediacy and spontaneity, characteristic of his aesthetic focus on refined technique.
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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