The grand canal in Venice 

This evocative view of Venice’s Grand Canal was painted by Félix Ziem. At its heart, notice how the campanile rises above the Doge’s Palace; symbols of Venetian power and identity, they dominate the city. The tower's form, a slender vertical thrust, echoes the ancient obelisks of Egypt, symbols of stability and connection between the earthly and divine realms. In Venice, it represents civic pride, but look back further, and we see this reaching-for-the-sky motif reappearing in the minarets of Islamic architecture, or even the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. These structures provoke a primordial response. They remind us of mankind’s eternal quest for connection with the cosmos. Venice, as portrayed here, captures not just a place, but a shared yearning embedded in our collective memory. The motifs reflect the cyclical dance between ambition and reflection.