Le Zendale (Woman in a Hood, or the Woman Returning from Church) 1775

Giovanni David created this print titled ‘Le Zendale’ using etching. Notice the dominant use of linear strokes that define every figure and architectural detail, giving the image its structural clarity. The artist uses these linear strokes to add texture and volume to the woman’s dress and the Zendale hood. The composition is structured around the contrast between the foreground and the background. The woman, dressed in a Zendale, is sharply defined, while the background blurs into a sketch of a Venetian scene. The Zendale itself acts as a signifier, a visual code representing Venetian identity and perhaps, a critique of social norms through the anonymity it provides. The semiotic interplay between visibility and concealment, highlights the ambiguities inherent in social representation. The print invites us to decode the multiple layers of meaning embedded in its formal elements, and the cultural context it represents.