Grand Canal, Venice 1927

This print of the Grand Canal in Venice was created by Louis Conrad Rosenberg, an American artist known for his detailed architectural etchings. Rosenberg, born in 1890, lived through a period of significant change, witnessing both World Wars and the rise of modernism. The image of Venice here evokes a timeless quality, but it's also a constructed view. The city, with its famed canals and gondolas, has long been a site of cultural exchange, and also a place of stark social divisions. Who gets to experience Venice? Who lives and works here, and whose labor maintains its beauty? The romantic depiction of Venice often obscures the complex realities of its inhabitants. By focusing on the aesthetic beauty of Venice, Rosenberg’s print invites us to reflect on what stories are being told and whose perspectives are being centered.