A View of Venice

Thomas Moran, A View of Venice, 1891, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1968.120.1
Copied Thomas Moran, A View of Venice, 1891, oil on canvas, 35 1⁄8 x 25 1⁄4 in. (89.2 x 64.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1968.120.1
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Artwork Details

Title
A View of Venice
Artist
Date
1891
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
35 1⁄8 x 25 1⁄4 in. (89.2 x 64.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Waterscape — boat
  • Figure group
  • Cityscape — Italy — Venice
  • Waterscape — canal — Grand Canal
  • Architecture Exterior — civic — Doge’s Palace
Object Number
1968.120.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.120.1

Artwork Description

With rich colors and calligraphic brushstrokes, Thomas Moran dissolves the clouds, architecture, and reflections of Venice into a tapestry of swirls and scribbles. Moran built his reputation by painting dramatic records of the mountains and waterfalls of the American West. He then traveled to Italy to renew his creative spirit, first visiting in 1886. In this vista of the entrance to the Grand Canal, he takes artistic license with architecture and topography, making subtle adjustments so that other favorite sights, such as the Bridge of Sighs, are inaccurately visible. In 1890 Moran purchased an antique gondola so that he could continue indulging in this favorite Venetian experience on the pond near his home on Long Island, New York.

Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano, 2021.