Curious lack of glitter

June 23rd

I found this painting in my local museum. It is an anonymous copy from the early XIX century after a mid-XVIII century painting of one of the Venetian urban scenes and landscape painters. Basically, a talented amateur painted it, most likely without even ever seeing Venice. It is not a spectacular work of art and the forgotten name of its creator also shows that it wasn’t highly regarded over the years. And yet I stood in front of this painting for such a long time, that I started to notice other visitors to the museum noticing me standing there intensely looking at this painting, and coming over to where I stood, looking over my shoulder at what I was starting. After a quick glance, they would just shrug (without actually shrugging of course, but the shrug was implied in their body language) and would move on to some other room and some other work of art.

I am not an expert on art. But I know what I like and what unleashes emotions in me. And over the years, I gained a good understanding and good foundation of knowledge of art theory and art history. Also, among others, I developed a liking and appreciation for Venetian art from the XVIII century. The luminosity and sunlight interspersed within the unique architecture and open plazas and canals and churches and small alleyways of Venice from that era are harmoniously and opulently presented in paintings by Tiepolo, Canaletto, Bellotto, and Guardi.

But not in this painting. This one is drab. Could be the oppressive heat that makes everything sweaty and sticky and unpleasant, or could be the lack of talent to show the colors of that city. But this scene itself is not one of the common ones for showing off the beauty of Venice. Just a straight canal, a nondescript church facade, a small plaza where some business deals are taking place, and regular, unadorned houses for regular families from that time. That slice of simply normal, mundane daily life that was going there then, arrested me and grabbed my attention. I guess I am interested in what is going on behind the shiny and well-made and well-known exterior. Interested in the normalcy of doings and goings from times long past.