The Dogana 1904

Paul Signac captured the Dogana in a tapestry of vibrant color using oil on canvas. The Dogana, once Venice's customs house, stands as a testament to the city's maritime power. The golden orb atop the building, crowned with Fortune turning in the wind, echoes the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a symbol of triumph and divine favor. Fortune's presence reminds us of the capricious nature of fate, a theme prevalent in Venetian art and life. The masts of the ships, skeletal against the sky, invoke both adventure and the vulnerability of human endeavor. Reflecting on these symbols, we see the persistence of cultural memory. The Dogana, with its promise of prosperity and the golden Fortune, becomes a stage where human ambition plays out against the backdrop of an unpredictable world, a drama that resonates across time.