Venice

John Singer Sargent American

Not on view

In his oils of Venice from the early 1880s, Sargent avoided the picturesque and touristic views painted by many of his contemporaries. Instead, he depicted Venetians engaged in quotidian activities in subdued interiors and in the city’s narrow, dark alleys and passageways. He probably made this watercolor in preparation for one such composition. The sheet offers an oblique view into a shallow, stage-like space, and it emphasizes the dynamic recession of the planes of the street. An acquaintance who saw these works observed: "They are very clever but a good deal inspired by the desire of finding what no one else has sought here—unpicturesque subjects, absence of color, absence of sunlight."

Venice, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper, American

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Venice, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper, American
Venice, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper, American
Venice, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper, American
Venice, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper, American
Venice, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper, American
Venice, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Watercolor and graphite on white wove paper, American

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.