Nocturne in Grey and Gold: Chelsea Snow

Whistler’s most famous nocturnes, or night views, depict the River Thames in London. However, in the 1870s Whistler also painted street scenes of the area near his home and studio in Chelsea, a suburban locale that was quickly being engulfed by the largest city in the world. With thin washes of paint, Whistler built up this mysterious scene depicting a male figure wandering a snowy street. Color was central to Whistler’s paintings, as demonstrated in the title he chose for this work. The blacks and grays of night are contrasted with what Whistler referred to as "gold,” his name for the twinkling, yellowish glow cast by the gaslights that illuminated the streets of Chelsea. It is possible that this painting is now somewhat darker than Whistler intended because he used dark grounds (or preparatory layers) over his canvases. As the paint on top of these grounds becomes more transparent with age, the entire painting darkens.