On the Way to the Public Garden

Francis Hopkinson Smith, On the Way to the Public Garden, ca. 1895, opaque watercolor and pastel over graphite on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1957.13.22
Francis Hopkinson Smith, On the Way to the Public Garden, ca. 1895, opaque watercolor and pastel over graphite on paper, sheet: 18 14 × 29 in. (46.4 × 73.7 cm) image: 14 12 × 24 34 in. (36.8 × 62.9 cm), irregular, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1957.13.22
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
On the Way to the Public Garden
Date
ca. 1895
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 18 14 × 29 in. (46.4 × 73.7 cm) image: 14 12 × 24 34 in. (36.8 × 62.9 cm), irregular
Credit Line
Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney
Mediums
Mediums Description
opaque watercolor and pastel over graphite on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group
  • Architecture — bridge
  • Waterscape — boat
  • Architecture — boat — gondola
  • Waterscape — canal
  • Cityscape — Italy — Venice
Object Number
1957.13.22

Artwork Description

Francis Hopkinson "Hop" Smith spent almost every summer painting in Venice between the 1880s and the end of his life, quickly finding friends among its growing community of American artists and art collectors. Specializing in watercolors, he typically created large and detailed images of canals and modest buildings, celebrating Venice's everyday beauty. Unlike the gestural, expressive styles of Sargent and Whistler, Smith chose a more controlled approach that conveys tranquility. He also published accounts of his journeys, writing in an accessible voice and illustrating these with reproductions of his watercolors. This scene of a bridge near the Public Garden, on the city's western tip, appeared in his 1895 collection Venice of To-Day. That same year Venice launched the first of its Biennale art fairs, which continue to this day in special pavilions in these gardens, just paces from this bridge.

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

Works by this artist (4 items)

Marvin Lipofsky, California Loop Series #6, 1968, glass, paint, rayon flock, and floatation foam, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in memory of Henry and Mildred Lipofsky, 1997.84.2, © 1969, Marvin B. Lipofsky
California Loop Series #6
Date1968
glass, paint, rayon flock, and floatation foam
Not on view
Marvin Lipofsky, California Loop Series #7, 1968, copper-plated glass, paint, rayon flock, and floatation foam, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in memory of Henry and Mildred Lipofsky, 1997.84.1, © 1969, Marvin B. Lipofsky
California Loop Series #7
Date1968
copper-plated glass, paint, rayon flock, and floatation foam
Not on view
Marvin Lipofsky, Fratelli-Toso Split Piece, 1976-1978, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Elmerina and Paul Parkman, 2002.73.13A-B, © 1979, Marvin Lipofsky
Fratelli-Toso Split Piece
Date1976-1978
glass
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Gene Pozzesi, Untitled, ca. 1996, Gabon ebony, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003), 2003.60.47
Untitled
Dateca. 1996
Gabon ebony
Not on view
Ron Fleming, Black Lotus, 1996, ebony, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Fleur and Charles Bresler in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery (1995--2003), 2003.60.16
Black Lotus
Date1996
ebony
Not on view
Frederick A. Miller, Dish, 1960, hammered and engraved sterling silver with ebony, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of an anonymous donor in memory of Dorothy S. Payer and in honor of Frederick A. Miller, 1992.107.2
Dish
Date1960
hammered and engraved sterling silver with ebony
On view
Earl Pardon, Box Ring, ca. 1960, sterling silver, ebony, ivory and amethyst, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund, 2003.20
Box Ring
Dateca. 1960
sterling silver, ebony, ivory and amethyst
Not on view