The Rialto (Primary Title)
John Singer Sargent, American (born Italy), 1856 - 1925 (Artist)
Of all the many places Sargent encountered in his travels, perhaps none captivated his attention like Venice. Well over one hundred watercolors document Sargent’s interest in the unique architecture of the Adriatic port city. Beneath the Grand Canal’s Rialto Bridge, however, ornament is secondary to action. Here, the flow of traffic enlivens the painting with a sense of movement. In the foreground a young boy sits in a boat’s bow, holding a fruit to his mouth. Behind him a gondolier pilots three fashionably dressed women, almost certainly Northern European or American tourists. A photograph, probably taken by Sargent, of his sister Emily and friend Eliza Wedgwood traveling under the Rialto may have inspired the composition.
Gilded Age; Progressive Era; Impressionism
James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin Collection
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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