Dimensions: support: 635 x 762 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Kenneth Rowntree | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Here we have Kenneth Rowntree’s "Souvenir of Venice," currently held in the Tate Collections. The support measures 635 by 762 millimeters. Editor: The geometry is striking—the canvas is split, with the right side open and dreamlike and the left a jumble of textures. Curator: Note how Rowntree uses a limited palette to evoke a sense of place. The layered surface on the left… it almost feels like weathered stucco, hinting at the passage of time and labor. Editor: Yes, the triangle atop the tower… it strikes me as an inverted alchemical symbol. The orb above is also evocative, like an eye gazing. Curator: I'm drawn to the contrast in textures and materials. The flat application of the sky against the heavily worked surface. Editor: It’s a fascinating dance between the concrete and the abstract. The Venice of memory, perhaps? Curator: Perhaps so. It gives us a glimpse into Rowntree’s Venice—filtered, constructed, and distinctly his own. Editor: A symbolic landscape ripe with interpretation and mood.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rowntree-souvenir-of-venice-t03935
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This is one of a number of paintings Rowntree made of Venice. The central image is a representation of the tower of St Marks Cathedral. The artist said that in the painting he was attempting to simplify the complexity of Venetian buildings 'trying to choose the basic facts beneath the flowering of architectural patisserie.' He was also trying to paint his feelings about the city, 'to fix my delight in Venice in as economical way as possible.' At the time, Rowntree was introducing geometric elements into his paintings and placing great emphasis on simplicity in his compositions. Gallery label, September 2004
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