Nocturne in Blue and Silver, The Lagoon, Venice

James McNeill Whistler painted this quiet view of Venice in 1879, capturing the lagoon after dark. Gondolas float in the shadowy foreground, a tall ship rests far off to the left, and tiny points of light flicker along the shoreline. On the right, the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore rises faintly through the gloom. Nearly every shape melts into soft blues and silvers, which is precisely the effect the artist was after. Rather than fussing over details, he let the whole scene settle into a single calm mood.

Whistler borrowed the word "Nocturne" from music to describe paintings like this one. To him, a canvas should feel like a melody, built from color and harmony instead of storytelling or sharp outlines. The approach struck many people as strange at the time. When critic John Ruskin accused him of "flinging a pot of paint in the public's face," Whistler took him to court and won, though the damages amounted to a single farthing. Standing before this hushed blue lagoon, you get to weigh in on the old argument yourself.