Artist James McNeill Whistler was an important influence in four major art schools: Realism, Aestheticism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism. A proponent of art for art’s sake, he titled many works to point at the relationship between art and music. James McNeill Whistler’s prints were among the first works by an American in Europe to incorporate Japanese influences.

As a developing artist, James McNeill Whistler studied at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Russia. After his father’s death, he studied drawing and mapmaking at West Point. He learned how to make etchings while working for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Many of James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s etchings date from the time he spent in Venice, when he wanted to portray Venice as its locals perceived it. If you favor etching artwork, you can find many fine examples of etchings for sale at auctions and galleries

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