Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket

Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket is an oil on panel that James McNeill Whistler painted around 1875, now held by the Detroit Institute of Arts. It belongs to his Nocturnes, night scenes in which colour and tone matter more than any story. The subject is a fireworks display at Cremorne Gardens, a popular London pleasure ground, and the great cloud of smoke that fills the sky gives the work its title: the falling rocket is suggested more than seen. The palette is limited to blues, greens and yellows, and only the yellow flecks of fireworks enliven the misty air. The watching figures are barely distinguishable. The signature, made with straight, thick strokes, recalls Japanese calligraphy. Whistler argued that the painting did not aim to copy reality but to create a sense of space and stillness. Its importance lies in that claim for art's independence, though the work also became the centre of a famous libel case against the critic John Ruskin.

Painter

James McNeill Whistler

Date

1875

Medium

oil paint, panel

Dimensions

60 × 46 cm

Museum

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

Movement

Tonalism

Genre

marine art

Depicts

fireworks festival, night, London

Share:FacebookWhatsApp