Entrance To The Grand Canal, Venice 1915

Thomas Moran painted this image of the Entrance to the Grand Canal in Venice with oil on canvas, and the hazy atmosphere feels so close, like I could step right into it. You know, sometimes painting is just as much about feeling and seeing as it is about depicting a specific thing. I love how the colours melt into each other, how these dabs of blues and greens and creams make the city look like it's breathing. It's not about sharp edges, it's about the soft blur of reality. There's a little cluster of figures on the right, almost lost in the busyness, rendered with these quick, gestural marks. They are not precise, but they are full of life. Reminds me a bit of some of Turner's Venetian paintings. They're both playing with light and atmosphere and, you know, leaving a little room for the viewer's imagination to fill in the details. It’s like they're saying, "Here's a glimpse, now dream it for yourself."