San Giorgio

American expatriate James Abbott McNeill Whistler created San Giorgio as part of a set of 12 etchings of Venice commissioned by the Fine Art Society, a London-based organization seeking to elevate the status of prints by offering limited editions. The composition provides an expansive view of the Giudecca Canal, where boats rented by scores of tourists were moored. San Giorgio, the famous church and destination for sightseers designed by 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio, appears enticingly in the distance at the left side. By “biting” his plate in an acid bath and printing it on fibrous Japanese paper, Whistler enhanced his etched lines by making them appear especially brittle, an effect that suggests a hazy atmosphere.