The Grand Canal, Venice
Thomas Moran, The Grand Canal, Venice, 1899, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Givens Bequest, public domain, 1999.1
This work is on view.
- Title
The Grand Canal, Venice
- Artist
- Date
1899
- Medium
oil on canvas
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
20 in x 30 in
- Collection Area
American Art
- Category
Paintings
- Object Type
painting
- Culture
American
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: Funds provided by Givens Bequest
- Accession Number
1999.1
- Copyright
public domain
- Terms
- Related Places
Depicts: Venezia
- Location
Thomas Moran was born in England but immigrated to America in his youth. He was trained as an illustrator and engraver and began painting in watercolor and oil paints by the late 1850s. Although best known for his paintings of Western vistas such as Yellowstone and Wyoming's Green River, the beauty of Venice also captivated Moran. Over the course of his long career, he depicted the Italian city more than any other locale.
Like many artists of his time, Moran was steeped in the romance and literature of Venice, which he first visited in 1886, inspired by J.M.W. Turner's colorful views of the city. During his six-week sojourn there, Moran executed numerous sketches that would later serve as the basis for his many large canvases and finished watercolors. The Grand Canal, Venice conveys the exotic splendors of the city’s architecture. With its rich colors and atmospheric effects of light, the painting is perhaps more of an emotional exploration for the artist than a geographic depiction.
- Exhibitions
2023 Throughlines: Connections in the Collection Portland Art Museum
