Summer in Venice c. 1898 - 1899

Curator: Maurice Prendergast's watercolor, "Summer in Venice," captures a lively scene with gondolas crowding the Venetian canals. It feels like a postcard, full of light and movement. Editor: The application of watercolor gives the entire image a translucent quality. Prendergast was likely attracted to the challenges of working in situ and how the fluid nature of the medium could capture the light in Venice. Curator: Absolutely, Venice, as a historically powerful port city and tourist destination, was a popular subject. This work speaks to the rise of leisure culture and the accessibility of travel for the upper classes at the time. Editor: And note how Prendergast's process favors suggestion over precise detail. It’s a sketch-like quality that emphasizes the experience of viewing rather than a photographic rendering. Curator: A fantastic reminder of how artists and institutions shape our perception of places. Editor: Indeed. And how the materiality of watercolor contributes to that perception.