View of the Palace in Venice 1910

Henri Martin, a painter born in France in 1860, painted this scene of a Venetian palace using small strokes of golds, browns, and blues that shimmer across the canvas. Imagine standing where Martin stood, trying to capture Venice, a city known for its light. I can imagine Martin dabbing paint onto the canvas, building up the image through a multitude of tiny touches. He’s trying to capture the essence of the place rather than a photographic likeness. See how the reflections in the water dance and flicker. Look at the thickness of the paint, how the texture creates a sense of movement and light. It reminds me of Signac and the pointillists. Painters are always learning from each other, borrowing ideas and pushing them further. "View of the Palace in Venice" offers us a way of seeing not just a place, but also the artist's process, their way of thinking, and their emotional response to the world. And each of us can have our own way of seeing it too.