Painting Collection Auguste Renoir Venice—Fog (1841—1919) Auguste Renoir painted this scene of Venice in 1881, during his first trip to the Italian city. He depicts gondoliers crossing the Venetian Lagoon, with the Basilica di San Marco in the background, barely visible through the fog. Renoir was especially smitten with Italian sunlight, capturing the waterscape in a golden glow. The artist created this work in an Impressionist style, painting the view and its atmospheric effects with short brushstrokes of unblended colors. San Marco and the sky are engulfed in bright yellows and peachy hues while the water is indicated by a stream of blue, green, and turquoise marks intermingled with golden reflections. The figures navigating the water are quickly sketched, dwarfed by their surroundings. Renoir painted this work at a time when he was seeking new sources of inspiration and retreating from the pressures of Paris, writing in a letter to dealer Ambroise Vollard in 1883 that he had “wrung Impressionism dry.” While in Italy, he was influenced by the Old Masters, such as Raphael, and traveled for the next two years, to Spain and Algeria as well. |
  
Join Our Mailing List
|
