James McNeill Whistler (American, Lowell, Massachusetts 1834–1903 London), Weary, 1863. Drypoint; fourth state of six (Glasgow); printed in black ink on tan Japan drum-mounted on ivory laid paper. Plate: 8 3/16 x 5 1/4 in. (20.8 x 13.3 cm) Sheet: 17 9/16 × 13 1/8 in. (44.6 × 33.4 cm). Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 17.3.64 © 2000–2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Whistler's confidence as an etcher is seen at its fullest in this portrait of Jo Hiffernan, his companion in the 1860s. The artist was deeply influenced by Rembrandt, and it is probably due to this that he felt comfortable leaving the lower half of the sheet with only the barest of drawn outlines. Like Rembrandt, he too experimented with different kinds of papers; here, the tan Japan paper is an important choice for a print that leaves so much paper exposed.

This work is exhibited in the "Unfinished: Thoughts Left Invisible" exhibition, on view through September 4th, 2016. #MetBreuer