St. Mark's, Venice 1963

Curator: Gosh, look at that city humming along in pure, energetic outline. Editor: It's a dizzying array of lines! The etching "St. Mark’s, Venice" created in 1963 by Alfred Bendiner. The artist rendered St. Mark’s Basilica in striking detail. Curator: "Dizzying" is the word! It's like Venice exploded onto the page as one exuberant doodle! I can almost feel the chaotic carnival atmosphere that Bendiner captures with a sure hand. The architecture almost seems to breathe! The figures cavorting about look like paper dolls dancing for confetti. Editor: I'm really interested in the choice of a singular reddish ink for this piece. Think of the time involved and pressure applied in etching to evoke such density with so few materials. Bendiner highlights labor, making a monument seemingly emerge from a single, stark production method. What social commentary is that suggesting here? Curator: Perhaps, that behind all the splendor lies labor; a testament to all those working on preserving such splendor. The repetition of geometric shapes, almost obsessive in its detail, could reflect Venice’s own repeating narrative through the centuries – a grand history built, repaired, then built again. The basilica's silhouette isn't just captured. The spirit of constant crafting behind this majestic scene is distilled into mere ink. Editor: I noticed also the medium itself: an etching, lends itself to replication and distribution, much like Venice and its image became a highly commercial destination, and even mass produced artwork as keepsakes to fuel it. Curator: It’s all so wonderfully ironic, isn't it? Bendiner, in this handcrafted process of an etching, offers both critical view and intimate admiration! A tourist trap becomes art. Editor: Absolutely. I appreciate how his technique underlines the many hands and their various methods contributing to its evolving materiality across both time and consumption. Curator: Well, for me, the beauty lies in seeing how such seemingly mundane elements can build an entire world, breathing with chaos, history, and human life—much like St. Mark's. It gives one pause...or maybe, it gives one wings?