The Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute c. 1843

J.M.W. Turner painted ‘The Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute’ to capture Venice, a city which, due to its powerful naval history, had become a symbol of maritime strength and trade. Turner, emerging from a Britain defined by its colonial power, was deeply affected by Venice’s atmosphere of faded grandeur. The painting almost dissolves into light and atmosphere, blurring the boundaries between the architectural icons, the water, and the sky. The wisps of figures on the docks, the Dogana, and the Salute, become apparitions in this scene, fading like the memory of Venice's past. It's as if he were asking if the city’s wealth and status are as substantial as they appear, or if they too are mirages. It evokes a feeling of nostalgia, tinged with an awareness of the ephemeral nature of power and beauty. Turner masterfully captures not just a place, but a sense of time, memory, and the human condition.