Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, at Sunset 1865 - 1884

Edward Lear rendered Santa Maria della Salute in watercolor, capturing a Venetian sunset. Lear, though celebrated for his nonsense verse, was also a dedicated landscape artist, traveling extensively to capture scenes like this one. The watercolor technique lends itself to the romanticism of the scene, bathing the iconic church in a soft, ethereal light. Consider the history of Venice itself—a city built on water, a center of trade, and a nexus of cultural exchange. Lear's choice to depict Venice at sunset speaks to the city’s beauty and its historical resonance. While seemingly a straightforward landscape, it's worth considering the power dynamics inherent in such a depiction. Who is afforded the leisure to travel and capture such scenes? How does the act of painting transform a place into an object of aesthetic consumption? Lear’s Venice invites us to reflect on the layers of history, identity, and representation embedded in our perceptions of place.