View of Venice, Italy 19th-20th century

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross's sketch, "View of Venice, Italy." It's a simple drawing, just pencil on paper, but I'm really drawn to its hazy, almost dreamlike quality. What's your take on this piece? Curator: It evokes Venice, but it's important to ask: Whose Venice? Ross, an American, presents a vision deeply rooted in his own cultural perspective. The light, the open composition... it's a tourist’s Venice, perhaps, sanitized and picturesque. Editor: Sanitized? Curator: Yes, where are the working class? The complexities of Venetian life are simplified into a pleasing vista. By focusing on the aesthetic, we risk overlooking whose stories are being erased. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about when looking at this piece now.