{"title":"3.26 Visions of Venice","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"writ-on-water-by-patrick-hughes","title":"Writ on Water by Patrick Hughes","description":"Patrick Hughes\u003cbr\u003e b. 1939 | British \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eWrit on Water\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Oil on panel\u003cbr\u003e Signed, titled, and dated “Writ on Water \/ Patrick Hughes \/ 2025” (en verso) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In \u003cem\u003eWrit on Water\u003c\/em\u003e, Patrick Hughes transforms the Venetian cityscape into a dazzling exercise in perception and paradox. Part painting, part sculpture and wholly mind-boggling, the work exemplifies the artist’s signature reverspective technique, in which three-dimensional structures painted in perfect linear perspective appear to shift and move as the viewer walks past. The façades of Venetian palazzi tilt toward the viewer, their reflections rippling across the canal’s mirrored surface, while the distant dome of a church anchors the composition. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The title \u003cem\u003eWrit on Water\u003c\/em\u003e draws its meaning from the Old English idiom—most famously inscribed on the gravestone of the Romantic poet John Keats—signifying the transience of human endeavor. In the context of Venice, a city perpetually defined by its relationship to the sea, the phrase acquires poetic resonance: the entire urban fabric seems literally “written on water,” its beauty ever endangered by time and tide. Hughes captures that fragility through an optical structure that, though physically solid, seems to dissolve and reform with every movement of the observer. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Constructed from meticulously joined trapezoidal and triangular wooden panels, the composition projects forward from the wall while simultaneously receding into the painted space. The artist digitally maps his imagery to match the skewed planes, then translates each surface into oil paint with flawless precision. Light, color, and shadow are orchestrated so that what should advance appears to retreat—an ingenious inversion that deceives the mind into seeing motion within stillness. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hughes created his first reverse perspective work in 1964 with a life-sized room for the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London entitled \u003cem\u003eSticking-Out Room\u003c\/em\u003e, thus beginning his long fascination with perspective illusions. He has since then authored several books on themes related to his art, including visual paradoxes and oxymorons, and he holds a doctorate in science from King’s College in London for his work in the psychology of perception. Today, his work resides in the permanent collection of the British Library and the British Academy in London. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dated 2025 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Panel: 25 1\/2\" high x 60 1\/2\" wide (64.77 x 155.67 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Frame: 32 3\/4\" high x 77 1\/2\" wide x 11 1\/2\" deep (83.19 x 196.85 x 29.21 cm)","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44555421089927,"sku":"32-1517","price":234500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-1517_1_d42c95a5-2781-4c32-bb41-54719dbab139.png?v=1780144267"},{"product_id":"venetian-scene-by-martin-rico-y-ortega","title":"Venetian Scene by Martin Rico y Ortega","description":"Martin Rico y Ortega\u003cbr\u003e 1833-1908 | Spanish \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eVenetian Scene\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Signed \"Rico\" (lower left)\u003cbr\u003e Oil on canvas  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Spanish artist Martin Rico y Ortega captures a charming view of a canal in Venice in this luminous oil on canvas. The artist's portrayals of the legendary City of Water are celebrated for both their unique vantage points and vibrant color, two qualities that are fully realized in the present work. Not only is his intricate attention to detail on display in the reflections of the water and the architectural detail, but Rico y Ortega also reveals his remarkable skill at capturing the personality and atmosphere of this iconic city in the 19th century. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Rico y Ortega was born in El Escorial, Madrid, where he received his formal education at the San Fernando School. Soon after graduating, he began studying plein air composition, traveling throughout Spain for his artistic inspiration. His efforts paid off when he won a government-sponsored scholarship to study art in Paris, where he was influenced by the Barbizon School. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He traveled to Italy in 1872, where he became fascinated by the splendor of Venice. From that moment on, he spent numerous summers living in Venice, sketching buildings and landscapes from a gondola. In 1878, he won the third-place medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle and was also made an officer of the French Legion of Honor. That same year, art critic Paul Lefort wrote of Rico y Ortega in \u003cem\u003eLa Gazette des Beaux-Arts\u003c\/em\u003e: “Although a fanatic when it comes to light, and an aficionado of rare and augmented color tonalities which, in his works, resemble precious stones, he refrains from overstepping the limits of human vision.” Similar Venetian scenes by Rico y Ortega reside in prestigious collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the New Orleans Museum of Art. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 19th century \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Canvas: 16 1\/4” high x 21 1\/4” wide (41.28 x 53.98 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Frame: 29 1\/4” high x 34 3\/8” wide x 5 3\/4” deep (74.30 x 87.31 x 14.61 cm)","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43749912182919,"sku":"32-2162","price":74500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-2162_1.png?v=1769777149"},{"product_id":"view-of-the-grand-canal-by-william-james-1","title":"View of the Grand Canal by William James","description":"William James\u003cbr\u003e Fl. 1754-1771 | British  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eView of the Grand Canal, Venice, with San Geremia and the Entrance to the Cannaregio\u003c\/em\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Oil on canvas  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This luminous Venetian scene was painted by the celebrated 18th-century British artist William James. He was renowned for his highly detailed and brightly colored canvases that captured iconic views of the famed City of Water. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In this work, James renders the Grand Canal and the entrance to the Cannaregio Canal, which was the principal route from central Venice to mainland Italy in the 18th century. The Ponte di Cannaregio spans the famous waterway, bustling with pedestrians and gondolas that flow beneath it. The church and campanile of San Geremia, the Palazzo Labia and the Palazzo Querini detti Papozze are all included, rendered with the thoroughness and precision for which James' best works are renowned. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Though he is known to have been active in London between 1754 and 1771, very little else is known about James’ personal life. What is known is that he never left England, relying on the images of other artists to create his own, unique interpretations. A student of the London artist Samuel Scott, he was also a pupil of the great Venetian painter Canaletto, who undoubtedly had a tremendous impact on James' output. The influence of Canaletto is particularly evident in this composition, which closely resembles a painting by Canaletto that is now found in the British Royal Collection. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Thanks to a British fervor for all things Italian in the 18th century, James' works gained him a great deal of attention, and he exhibited at the Society of Artists of Great Britain from 1761 to 1768 and at the Royal Academy from 1769 to 1771. He was invited to become a member of the Society of Artists in 1766. His works now belong to prestigious museums, including the Yale Center for British Art, the Royal Collection at Hampton Court and the Victoria \u0026amp; Albert Museum. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Canvas: 14 1\/4” high x 24 3\/8” wide (36.2 x 61.8 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Frame: 22 1\/2” high x 32 1\/2” wide x 3 3\/8” deep (57.2 x 82.6 x 8.5 cm) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e Private collection, London\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans\u003cbr\u003e Private collection, United States","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44057379668103,"sku":"32-2295","price":88500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-2295_1.png?v=1774961844"}],"url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/collections\/3-26-visions-of-venice.oembed","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}