Joseph Mallord William Turner

Santa Maria della Salute and the Dogana across the Bacino from the Canale della Grazia, Venice, at Evening, with the Entrance to the Grand Canal and the Campanile of San Marco (St Mark’s)

1840

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

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Artist
Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of
Venice: The Bacino, Canale della Giudecca and Canale di San Marco
Medium
Graphite and watercolour on paper
Dimensions
Support: 230 × 305 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference
D32150
Turner Bequest CCCXVI 13

Technique and condition

This work by Turner is a watercolour on a cream wove paper. Titled Distant view of the Entrance to the Grand Canal it is a loose, fluid painting of a sunrise or sunset scene. The work comprises of a series of thin washes over most of the support with some more intense colour though without thickness to emphasise detail.

This is a very loose, seemingly quick painting. The brush strokes seem quite hurried and loose, giving a very sketchy feel to this work. Most of the brush marks are very fluid though the marks that run diagonally from the centre down to the right hand corner exhibit an increasing dryness in application.

This work is in quite good condition with the pigments seemingly retaining a good deal of their vibrancy.

Jo Gracey
April 2001

Catalogue entry

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