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Article: Scratching the surface on Whistler ; In Clark exhibit, his work is praised but not questioned
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- June 29, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Visual Arts / Art Review
Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the Art of Painting
Softly
At: The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown,
through Oct. 19. 413-458-2303, clarkart.edu
WILLIAMSTOWN - "Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the
Art of Painting Softly," the Clark Art Institute's summer show
examining ethereal, soft-focus effects in the paintings of James
McNeill Whistler and his American followers, is a fine idea
beautifully presented. But from the thinking behind the show
something is missing: a healthy dose, I would suggest, of
skepticism.
The show takes its title from Whistler's 1880 assertion, "Paint
should not be applied thick. It should be like ...