Nocturne


Dublin Nocturne

The Miriam Webster dictionary describes a nocturne as follows: a work of art dealing with evening or night, especially: a dreamy pensive composition for the piano.

I can't speak much to the musical version of this definition, suffice to say some or my favorite classical pieces are nocturnes.  Perhaps my favorite of all is Ravel's 'Pavane for a Dead Princess", which I used as the score for a Youtube video...


The person who coined the phrase "nocturne" in regards to painting was none other than James Abbott O'Neill Whistler.  Yes, him.  The guy that so famously painted his mother:


He described the nocturne style as one that depicts scenes evocative of the night or subjects as they appear in a veil of light, in twilight, or in the absence of direct light.  More generally, the term can be applied to any painting of a night scene.

Whistler not only named the style but was a master of it, as the following examples show:


"Nocturne in Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge" by Whistler


"Nocturne in Black and Gold - The Falling Rocket" by Whistler 

I must say I have more than a passing affinity for nocturne paintings.  Indeed, if we go by the looser definition of 'any night painting' then it's fair to say the majority of my work is nocturne.  But there's been a few times where I've actually set out to paint a nocturne.  The piece that leads this blog, 'Dublin Nocturne' is a case in point.  



The Revue

My nocturnes aren't as soft as hazy as Whistler's.  I actually aspire to keep detail to a minimum when I paint, but invariably get into the trap of more and more detail as a piece rolls along.  It's tough to commit to minimal detail, because it involves stepping away from the canvas sooner than you think you should.  



Ottawa Nocturne

Ottawa Nocturne is my latest one.  I think the top portion particularly has some of the softness I'm trying for.  Eventually I'd like to get to the same hazy point that Whistler operated at.  

I'm sure there'll be more of these pieces to come.  After all, when I'm painting a nocturne, with the sounds of Classical 96.3 filling the studio, I'm very much in my happy place. 


If you would like a print of any of my nocturnes featured in this article, the links are here:

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/dublin-nocturne-dave-rheaume.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-revue-dave-rheaume.html

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/ottawa-nocturne-dave-rheaume.html
 

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