Canal in Venice. 1890 Isaac Ilyich Levitan (1860-1900)

Description of Isaac Levitan’s Canal in Venice

The painting was painted in 1890 in oil on canvas.

The style in painting is realism. The genre is urban landscape.

Levitan is a great and brilliant Russian artist. His paintings are considered masterpieces of art around the world. Levitan was able to write any subjects, subtly and competently selecting colors. He was loved and respected as a brilliant artist and as a friend. Modest, kind and sympathetic he amazed everyone who knew him. Many profound phrases and poems were written on the subjects of his paintings.

Isaac Levitan was best known for his landscapes. Nature always had the most important role in his soul. He admired the beauty of the Russian land, its temples, villages, the breadth of our people’s souls. His creative heritage has dozens of canvases depicting landscapes. There are masterpieces that show the viewer the beauty of nature in other countries.

"Canal in Venice" is one of the canvases that Levitan painted in Italy. Venice is a place where once visited, you dream to come again. Such landscapes, where the city stands in the water and instead of the usual urban transport people move on gondolas, there is nowhere else.

Of course, Levitan, as a great connoisseur of beauty could not fail to be captivated by these places. In his painting he depicted a narrow, ancient street in a city that is filled with romance. The tranquil water of the canal spills throughout the painting.

A bridge connects the houses, and underneath it, two boats are arranged like lovers. Venice is filled with ancient houses, which are badly deteriorating under the influence of the water element. Levitan was able to depict the landscape as it looks in reality. The combination of red and brown tones gives the canvas a certain mystery and romance.

The painting is in storage at the Polenov State Memorial Museum of Art and History. Tula region.