Accession Number
1993/2.4

Title
The Guitar Player (M.W. Ridley)

Artist(s)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1875

Medium & Support
drypoint, printed in black ink on old laid paper

Dimensions
12 3/4 x 7 13/16 in. (32.3 x 19.7 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Friends of the Museum of Art on the Occasion of their Twenty-fifth Anniversary

Label copy
The subject of this drypoint is Whistler's friend and fellow artist Matthew White Ridley (1837-1888).

Subject matter
The painter Matthew White Ridley was a friend of Whistler's and posed for at least two of Whistler's etchings (the other being "The Storm"). Here the rich drypoint hatching is combined with artistic printing--the retention of films of ink employed in an expressive way--to increase the drama of the portrait. The plate tone is used to convey shadow on the right side of the figure--an updated form of chiarscuro.

Physical Description
A man with moustache and beard stands facing slightly towards the left, strumming a guitar.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Musical instruments
guitars