1. Glazer, Jacobson, McCarthy, Roeder, wall label, 2019:
Whistler explained that he chose the word "nocturne" to describe his night scenes precisely because "it generalizes and simplifies the whole set of them." Despite their differences in scale, location, subject matter, and medium, all of his Nocturnes essentially focus on complicated patterns of color and tone. The four watercolors that resulted from his 1882 trip to Amsterdam are among his most experimental works. Maintaining a wet surface while he worked, the artist rubbed and scraped the paper to achieve his desired effects, much as he did to the surface of his oil Nocturnes. Studying the paper under magnification reveals abraded fibers and confirms Whistler's technique.
2. Lee Glazer, 2018:
Date changed to coincide with Whistler's 1882 trip to Amsterdam.