Laguna Veneta 1924

Curator: This is James McBey's "Laguna Veneta," an etching from 1924. Editor: Immediately, I get a sense of hushed quietude from this scene. It's almost as if Venice is holding its breath. There is such stillness. Curator: McBey, though Scottish, traveled extensively and was particularly captivated by Venice. This work captures the atmosphere of the Venetian lagoon so beautifully—the way the light interacts with the water. He visited during a particularly interesting point when its economy faced immense disruption from changes in the Grand Canal. Editor: It's created so economically too, with the bare minimum of lines, isn't it? The sketch-like quality gives it a real immediacy. Almost like a fleeting memory of a place. The figures, the gondolas, the cityscape—everything is suggested, not fully defined. Curator: Indeed. And his use of etching allows for that wonderful interplay of light and shadow, contributing to the almost dreamlike quality. McBey certainly played into a certain romanticized view of the floating city. This came under intense scrutiny by academic reviewers from his day that wanted him to express his anti-establishment views as an official war artist on subjects considered more worthwhile. Editor: You can almost smell the dampness and the salt in the air, you know? The reflection of the city, trembling on the water’s surface… it dissolves reality, transforming something solid into pure light and shadow. But this piece definitely makes the romance of it real to me! What were people hoping to see, bombs dropping over canals? It feels so contemporary that he stuck to his artistic guns. Curator: I find McBey’s willingness to engage with such enduring images of the city telling in its own way. His art wasn't detached, and you would find very few images by him of the upper classes that existed only yards away from his scenic images. The dream itself becomes an active participant in history, I suppose. Editor: And in seeing the same dreams interpreted like this, nearly a hundred years later… well, that feels deeply resonant too. Thanks for shedding light on McBey and his captivating vision. Curator: My pleasure. A moment suspended in time. I think this etching does this magically, with no small feat of historical and cultural awareness by the artist.