The Riva Schiavoni by James Craig Annan

The Riva Schiavoni 1894

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Dimensions: image: 10.5 x 14.4 cm (4 1/8 x 5 11/16 in.) sheet: 11 x 14.8 cm (4 5/16 x 5 13/16 in.) mount: 26.8 x 37.1 cm (10 9/16 x 14 5/8 in.)

Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0

James Craig Annan created this photogravure, titled 'The Riva Schiavoni,' to capture a vision of Venice through tonal gradations and structural simplicity. Notice how the scene is bathed in a uniform light, with a subdued palette that blurs the boundaries between solid and void, reality and representation. Annan has used the photogravure process to create a soft focus which, rather than detailing the specific, evokes the atmosphere of a place. The composition emphasizes horizontal lines, which, coupled with the muted tones, produces a flattening effect, destabilizing traditional notions of depth. The structural elements, like the statue and the distant domes, emerge as ghostly forms, suggesting not a documentary but an emotional space. The print destabilizes the conventional use of photography as a tool for capturing objective reality. It functions as a cultural artifact, suggesting a shift towards subjective and aesthetic interpretations of space and place.

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