Venice, 1877
Oil on canvas
William Merritt Chase
American, 1849-1916
With this small oil on canvas, painted during William Merritt Chase’s nine-month stay in Venice, the artist turns his attention away from the city’s most distinctive feature, its canals, opting instead to focus on its architectural details. Rendered in a flat vertical plane of cream and white, this stately waterside manor becomes a site for the play of sunlight and shadow. Rendered in small, loose brush strokes, a woman leans over a balcony overlooking potted flowers and plants.
Westheimer Family Collection, 1991
Visual Description: This is a painting of a sun-drenched building along a Venetian canal. Chase used small, loose brushstrokes as well as a faded color palette of light tan, olive green, and gray for the scene. There are several windows and balconies along the exterior of the building, decorated with green shutters and an array of potted plants. Along the upper left corner, a woman stands leaning over a balcony between two columns.
