Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge
Encyclopedia
Nocturne: Blue and Gold – Old Battersea Bridge is a painting by the American
-born British
artist James McNeill Whistler
, now held in the collections of Tate Britain
. It was painted around 1872–5.
This painting is of the old wooden Battersea Bridge
across the River Thames
before it was replaced by the modern bridge. Chelsea Old Church
to the left (on the north bank of the river) and the then recently built Albert Bridge
to the right, with fireworks above, can be seen in the distance. The picture is an evening view and is full of atmospheric effect. The bridge is painted taller than it actually was for added effect. Hokusai
, a favorite artist of Whistler's from Japan
, produced a similar picture of a tall wooden bridge with fireworks.
The painting was presented to the Tate Gallery
by the National Art Collections Fund in 1905.
Whistler's Nocturne series, of which this painting was a part, achieved notoriety in 1877, when influential critic John Ruskin
visited an exhibition of the series at the Grosvenor Gallery
. He wrote of the exhibition that Whistler was "asking two hundred guineas
for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face". Whistler sued for libel, the case reaching the courts in 1878. The judge in the case caused laughter in the court when he asked Whistler "Which part of the picture is the bridge?"; the case ended with Whistler awarded token damages of one farthing.
In 1905, Nocturne: Blue and Gold became the first significant acquisition by the newly formed National Art Collections Fund
, and now hangs in Tate Britain
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
artist James McNeill Whistler
James McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American-born, British-based artist. Averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, he was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger...
, now held in the collections of Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
. It was painted around 1872–5.
This painting is of the old wooden Battersea Bridge
Battersea Bridge
Battersea Bridge is a cast-iron and granite five-span cantilever bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England. It is situated on a sharp bend in the river, and links Battersea south of the river with Chelsea to the north...
across the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
before it was replaced by the modern bridge. Chelsea Old Church
Chelsea Old Church
Chelsea Old Church is on the north bank of the River Thames near Albert Bridge in Chelsea, London, England. It is the church for a parish in the Diocese of London, part of the Church of England. It is located on the corner of Old Church Street and Cheyne Walk. Inside, there is seating for 400...
to the left (on the north bank of the river) and the then recently built Albert Bridge
Albert Bridge, London
Albert Bridge is a Grade II* listed road bridge over the River Thames in West London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank...
to the right, with fireworks above, can be seen in the distance. The picture is an evening view and is full of atmospheric effect. The bridge is painted taller than it actually was for added effect. Hokusai
Hokusai
was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. He was influenced by such painters as Sesshu, and other styles of Chinese painting...
, a favorite artist of Whistler's from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, produced a similar picture of a tall wooden bridge with fireworks.
The painting was presented to the Tate Gallery
Tate Gallery
The Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art...
by the National Art Collections Fund in 1905.
Whistler's Nocturne series, of which this painting was a part, achieved notoriety in 1877, when influential critic John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
visited an exhibition of the series at the Grosvenor Gallery
Grosvenor Gallery
The Grosvenor Gallery was an art gallery in London founded in 1877 by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche. Its first directors were J. Comyns Carr and Charles Hallé...
. He wrote of the exhibition that Whistler was "asking two hundred guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face". Whistler sued for libel, the case reaching the courts in 1878. The judge in the case caused laughter in the court when he asked Whistler "Which part of the picture is the bridge?"; the case ended with Whistler awarded token damages of one farthing.
In 1905, Nocturne: Blue and Gold became the first significant acquisition by the newly formed National Art Collections Fund
National Art Collections Fund
The Art Fund is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as well as lobbying on behalf of museums and galleries and their users...
, and now hangs in Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
.