Gezicht op de noordelijke gevelwand van het Piazza S. Marco te Venetië c. 1865 - 1900

Carlo Naya captured this view of the northern facade of Piazza San Marco in Venice with photography. Notice how the architecture is adorned with rows of arches. The repeated arch motif, reminiscent of a triumphant gateway, echoes through time. We see it in Roman aqueducts, Renaissance colonnades, and even modern skyscrapers. The arch signifies not just structure but also passage, transition, and aspiration. From the Arch of Titus, celebrating imperial victories, to the archways in Venetian palaces symbolizing maritime dominance, this motif embodies power and continuity. These arches, like cultural memory, span across epochs, each iteration subtly altered by the anxieties and aspirations of its time, subconsciously engaging viewers. In Venice, they represent the city’s historical power and cultural endurance.