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Canal in Venice (Primary Title)

John Henry Twachtman, American, 1853 - 1902 (Artist)

1884
American
Drawings
Works On Paper
Pastel and graphite on colored paper
American Art
Place Made,United States
Unframed (sight): 16 5/8 × 11 3/4 in. (42.23 × 29.85 cm)
Framed: 22 3/4 × 17 3/4 in. (57.79 × 45.09 cm)
2012.267
Not on view

A founding member of "The Ten," America's leading group of impressionist painters, John Twachtman first trained as a realist in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Munich, Germany. A European encounter with the startling work of James McNeill Whistler and Claude Monet caused him to lighten his touch and palette.

This ethereal scene of Venice suggests Twachtman's experimental use of the pastel medium, then favored by many progressive artists. It depicts the Rio della Guerra, just north of the Piazza San Marco. The daring vacancy and shimmering play of subtle colors at the center of the image suggest the distance from the bustling square and the retreat into quieter, more residential areas of the city.

Signed in pencil in lower left corner: "J. H. Twatchman"
exhibtion labels: Venice, the American view 1860 - 1920/ Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (L. 84.54.86)/ October 20, 1982 - April 21, 1985; teh Cleveland Museum of Art (216.85) / February 27 - Arpil 21, 1985; Letter to Mr. Bender from Pierre Sicard, dated March 21, 1981
on reverse: Painted by my father, J. H. Twachtman/ Venice ‘84/ J. Alden Twachtman/ June 16, 1956/ Greenwich, Connecticut
Gift of Charles G. Thalhimer in honor of his wife Sibyl's 90th birthday
Presenting the Work of John H. Twachtman, American Painter, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, New York, November 5-28, 1939, no. 9 (lent by Albert E. McVitty, Esq.)
Venice: The American View, 1860-1920, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, October 20, 1984-January 20, 1985, no. 86; traveled to Cleveland Museum of Art, February 27-April 21, 1985
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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