Progressive critics praised the spareness of Whistler's prints. In an essay published after Whistler's death in 1903, Charles Caffin observed, "In his . . . Venetian etchings, [Whistler] confined himself to a few lines contrasted with large spaces of white paper. But the lines are used with such wonderful knowledge and skill that they are sufficient to suggest the character of the objects, while the chief meaning is given to the empty spaces. These cease to be mere paper; they convey the impression of water or sky under the effects of atmosphere and light, and, moreover, they stimulate the imagination." 

Charles H. Caffin, "How to Study Pictures: Comparing Whistler with Sargent," St. Nicholas 32 (October 1905): 1097. 
(Freer/Sackler)

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