Grand Canal Pink Serenade, 4.75 x 7 inches, unframed

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Comment by Resident Curator on September 24, 2023 at 10:08am

 

Curator’s Comments:

This plein-air watercolor, Grand Canal Pink Serenade, recently came up in a random selection on the site.  The small painting deserves a closer viewing. I enjoy the way the top portion of the painting, and especially the clouds, become focal elements in the piece. The buildings which are no doubt formable, appear to dissolve into the watery ground.  This illusion is especially strong on the right side, where the building’s brown reflection breaks into the space below.  Sharing the unexpectedly warm color palette of the water rather than the sky, the pink clouds offer some visual transition up to the heavier blue shapes. I realize these shapes could be pockets of the sky opening through the clouds rather than the clouds themselves, they nonetheless carry the visual weight. It’s a wonderful little piece.