Becquet c. 1860

"Becquet" is an etching by American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler, created around 1860. The artwork depicts a man, likely a musician, holding a cello. Whistler's signature use of loose, gestural lines is evident in the etching, giving the subject a hazy, dreamlike quality. The background is rendered with a series of parallel lines, creating a sense of depth and atmospheric space. This work exemplifies Whistler's early fascination with the nuances of light and shadow and his interest in capturing fleeting moments. The artist's focus on the interplay of line and tone is a characteristic of his artistic practice that would come to define his later work.