Nocturne in Black and Gold – The Falling Rocket, 1875

James McNeill Whistler

Oil paint on panel · 60.3 x 46.4 cm

Fireworks scatter as smudges of paint over a near-abstract night sky.

Whistler dissolves a firework display over the Thames into drifting sparks and darkness — art as pure mood and tone. When a critic called it flinging paint in the public's face, Whistler sued, staking a famous claim for art's own freedom.

Detroit Institute of Arts

• 4K master file (3840px+)
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