A View of Venice

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: Thomas Moran
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: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Architecture Exterior — civic — Doge’s Palace
Waterscape — canal — Grand Canal
Figure group
Cityscape — Italy — Venice
Waterscape — boat
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.