Memory of Venice: the Palazzo Ducale and the Piazzetta c. 1900 - 1920

Eugène Vail made this drawing of the Palazzo Ducale and the Piazzetta, in Venice using what looks like charcoal or maybe conte crayon. It's all about atmosphere, a process of building up soft, smudgy tones to create a hazy, dreamlike impression of the city. Look at the way the light seems to glow from within the buildings, reflected in the water. Vail hasn't laboured to capture every detail, but rather focused on the emotional essence of the place: its mystery, romance, and quiet grandeur. The marks feel tentative, searching. It's like he's trying to capture a fleeting memory, a whisper of Venice rather than a precise record. This reminds me of Whistler's nocturnes, those hazy, tonal paintings of London at night. Both artists were interested in capturing a sense of place through mood and atmosphere, embracing ambiguity over clarity. It's a reminder that art isn't about perfect representation, but about feeling and seeing in new ways.