Félix Ziem

Known for his luminous landscapes and marine scenes, Félix Ziem (1821–1911) became a leading figure among artists who painted Venice. A French painter, close to the Barbizon School and the ‘Orientalist’ trend, he is seen as one of the precursors of Impressionism for his work with light and colour. He toured the Mediterranean and journeyed as far as Russia; the works prompted by his travels found huge international success in his lifetime, enabling him to exhibit regularly at the Salons and become one of the first artists to see one of his works enter the Louvre, in 1905.

Among harbours, scenes of Eastern life and bustling markets, the subject to which Ziem kept returning was the Venice lagoon, the theme of several hundreds of his paintings. His first visit to the Serenissima in 1841 marked a turning point in his artistic career. He felt Venice was his second home, and tried to return there whenever possible to capture the variations of light and colour in the water, the lagoon and its buildings. 

In the present painting, Ziem chose to depict a panoramic view of the Grand Canal, crossed by a traghetto, with the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute in the background. This composition is repeated in many of his views of Venice, as can be seen in Venice, the Grand Canal near Santa Maria della Salute (between 1880 and 1890, Paris, Musée d’Orsay, inv. RF 1913) and Venice, view from the Doge’s Palace and the Riva degli Schiavoni (between 1880 and 1890, Paris, Musée d’Orsay, inv. RF 1911).

This work is a perfect example of Ziem’s attention to colour and vibrant, dazzling light effects. The blue of the sky meets the lustrous green of the lagoon, while the setting sun bathes the city in warm tints. The clarity and plays of light on the water make the surface shimmer, suggesting reflections and sparkling waves. Creating a poetic atmosphere, the golden light and luminous mists give the scene a timeless and idealized character. The artist’s free, spontaneous brushstroke breathes movement into the composition, revealing the life that animates the city as well as the constant movement of water and its reflections.