Chat in Venice 

Curator: Antonio Paoletti's watercolor, likely titled "Chat in Venice", offers us a peek into everyday Venetian life. Immediately, I'm struck by how subtly suggestive it is. It feels like overhearing a snippet of a whispered conversation, or catching a fleeting moment out of the corner of your eye. Editor: Indeed! Look at the clothing itself, it’s almost an act of portraiture through labor. Notice the wear on those wooden shoes, those bronze vessels at their feet tethered to a long heavy chain. It signals labor and a particular type of making tied specifically to Venice’s geographic location and cultural memory. It speaks to an older way of production. Curator: Absolutely! The fact that it's a watercolor, lends a sort of ephemeral quality, almost dreamlike to this "older way." But Paoletti isn’t just documenting; the composition itself seems loaded with hints. One woman leaning languidly, gazing up, the other examining the ground as if something has been dropped, lost, or maybe even thrown? What do you think? Editor: Yes! I like that idea of a tension or friction being introduced to their social relationship by something very simple… some sort of chance street debris… And their attire is telling, too, of course, that the texture and drape of fabrics indicate particular labor relations. What you might wear casually, versus workwear, and vice versa. This wasn’t some candid slice of life; there’s intent in this staged composition that feels like it has something to say. Curator: Right. While appearing to capture a casual, observed moment of realism, the very act of representing female labour within this traditional fine art space… and made through gouache and watercolor painting… seems a quietly subversive claim. Editor: Well, its certainly an engaging artwork that keeps asking new questions on each observation. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Curator: The pleasure was all mine. These vibrant peeks at the Venice labor, are often over-looked gems.