J.M.W.Turner: Venice

The Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, 1843
oil on canvas, .620 x .930 m 

Displayed at the Royal Academy in 1843, Turner's late view of Venice shows the Customs House, or Dogana, from an angle opposite to that seen in his 1834 picture. Behind the Dogana, the domes of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute rise against the vibrantly luminous sky. Although his early works had made Turner wealthy and famous, this later style -- in which light evaporates the solid forms -- was far too avant-garde for his contemporaries to comprehend. In retrospect, however, it is such late works that had the most impact upon subsequent landscapists. (The parapet at the bottom right is formally inscribed with Turner's full initials, J.M.W.T; informally, friends called him Bill.)

      Extract from: National Museum of Art, Washington