Bravura in Brown 1883 - 1884

James McNeill Whistler created this watercolor painting, Bravura in Brown, using paper and pigments. Whistler was interested in the tonal properties of color. It seems the artist’s objective was to explore the harmonies of closely related hues, rather than depict an actual scene. With quick, diluted washes of brown, he built up a composition that is more suggestive than descriptive. The hazy washes of color create soft edges, adding to the painting’s dreamlike quality. The bravura of the title suggests an admiration for skill, and the painting’s visual shorthand certainly attests to the skill involved in translating reality into a few artfully placed strokes. But watercolor painting was not usually considered ‘high art’ at this time, and Whistler, in his choice of medium and subject matter, appears to be challenging the traditional distinction between fine art and craft.