The Little Lagoon c. 1879 - 1880

Curator: This etching, "The Little Lagoon" by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, dates from around 1879-1880, a period when Whistler was deeply exploring the possibilities of tonal harmony in his work. Editor: Mmm, so quiet. The lagoon almost seems to breathe…It’s like a hushed conversation between the water and the sky. Curator: It’s interesting that you use the word “conversation,” as Whistler spent a good deal of time in Venice—the setting for this print—cultivating relationships with working class Venetians in defiance of rigid Victorian society. Editor: He spent time living *among* the Venetians? Because I get the sense, looking at this, that he wanted to know Venice from the inside. The textures… they remind me of memories, impressions more than accurate depictions, full of empathy for that local experience. Curator: Yes, definitely, this belongs to a set of prints known as the "First Venice Set," and it was, in part, an attempt to address perceptions of inequality, connecting the socio-political dynamics in Victorian England and Venice, especially class and power structures as manifested by those who have access to that city. Editor: It does have this feeling of fleeting beauty… Those dark posts, just barely visible in the water...are they marking territory? Are they obstacles? It seems like it can float either way depending on your situation. Is this landscape a kind of mirror? Curator: Perhaps. But if it is a mirror, it also reflects Whistler's engagement with contemporary debates on aesthetics and identity formation. The very act of depicting Venice was entangled with Orientalist perspectives, so by immersing himself in the actual lived experiences of Venetians, he actively contested those pervasive orientalist notions, offering a far more humanistic interpretation. Editor: Right. It becomes, then, less about showing a picturesque postcard and more about really listening. The "lagoon" seems not "little" so much as incredibly intimate… It really opens my ears. Curator: It’s a view framed by social understanding as much as art. Editor: Absolutely, an empathy machine... makes you wonder what he might "etch" today...