The Grand Canal, Venice 1903

This painting of The Grand Canal, Venice, was painted by Thomas Moran; its colour palette is all muted blues and browns, which gives it a serene, dreamlike quality. It's as if Moran wasn't just painting what he saw, but also how he felt, his emotional experience. If you look closely at the water, you can see how he used short, choppy brushstrokes to capture the movement and reflection of light, so the water seems to be alive. He was using the paint to capture the essence of a place, rather than just making a pretty picture. Then notice the sails of the boats, how they catch the light and draw your eye upwards. They are not flat and uniform, but textured and layered, suggesting the way wind fills them and stretches the fabric. Thinking about Venice and water reminds me of the way that Turner painted similar scenes, but with a lot more drama. Both artists remind us that art is always a conversation across time, with artists responding to and building upon the ideas of those who came before them.