Flower Market 1885

Curator: Here we have James Abbott McNeill Whistler's watercolor painting, "Flower Market," created around 1885. Editor: My first thought is the striking ethereal quality. The pale washes create such an evocative mood. It feels very fleeting. Curator: Indeed. Whistler's Impressionistic approach is on full display here. The loosely defined forms, dissolving into washes of color, hint at the ephemeral nature of a bustling market scene. I am reminded that floral markets often have been spaces of congregation. Editor: Precisely. The visible brushstrokes contribute to this effect. You see how the architecture is reduced to almost abstract planes? It seems Whistler is interested less in precise representation, and more in the sensation of being there. I find it remarkable. Curator: He captures the overall feeling more than documenting. In a way, the colors convey emotional memories that can outlast literal visual detail. Those crimson pops from the flowers are especially prominent. Editor: Absolutely. The color palette as a whole is fairly restrained, lending further emphasis to the crimson notes. Consider, too, how this watercolor technique would demand a certain swiftness, a decisiveness that translates into this spontaneous depiction. It also brings to mind images of flower vendors within marketplaces and rituals connected to this activity. Curator: I see how you see that it might show his reaction to a commercial, transient scene. Perhaps, even, a veiled commentary on modern life’s transient experience with beauty. Editor: It seems Whistler invites the viewer to actively participate, filling in the gaps of the composition. Curator: By embracing the ambiguity inherent in the medium of watercolor, Whistler has delivered a study that echoes long in our consciousness of similar market vistas. Editor: It's amazing how little Whistler needs to evoke so much. This watercolor’s suggestive power makes for a memorable snapshot of sensory experience.