Venice

John Singer Sargent American

Not on view

Between 1898 and 1913 Sargent visited Venice almost every year, attracted by a community of friends and colleagues who gathered there and by the city’s scenic possibilities. In Sargent’s image of Venice at dusk, details are obscured and forms are softened by the fading light, suggested by broadly applied, fluid pigments. Pools of color, accented by curving brushstrokes, evoke the gentle undulation of the murky water of the canal. Contemporary travel accounts often describe the beauty and melancholy of the city at night. One author opines, "Venice viewed by moonlight is, and will always remain, so long as one stone is left standing upon another, a fairy tale woven with glorious color."

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

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

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