Venice 1896

Vasily Polenov painted this view of Venice using oil on canvas. The texture is thick, built up from many small brushstrokes. Polenov used classic art materials, but the way he put them to work is what gives this picture its meaning. It looks as though he painted very quickly, recording an impression as much as a careful rendering of the scene. The painting is about capturing a moment in time, a snapshot of Venetian life. The social context here is a world of labor, with fishing boats and working people living in simple buildings. By focusing on the material process of painting, and the everyday scenes that it represents, Polenov elevates these subjects to the realm of fine art. This reminds us that all art is rooted in the lives and experiences of people, and in the materials and methods they use to shape their world.