Vignette of San Marco, 2010. Collection of David and Rosalee McCullough
“The Piazza also acts as a natural portal to Venice, welcoming its visitors like conquering heroes of yore.”
First published in 2013 by
DAVID R. GODINE · PUBLISHER
Post Office Box 450
Jaffrey, New Hampshire 03452
Text copyright © 2013 by Adam Van Doren
Preface copyright © 2013 by Theodore K. Rabb
Foreword copyright © 2013 by Simon Winchester
Map by Nick Springer
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information contact Permissions, David R. Godine, Publisher, Fifteen Court Square, Suite 320, Boston, Massachusetts 02108.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Doren, Adam, 1962–
An Artist in Venice / By Adam Van Doren ; With a Preface by Theodore K. Rabb ; A Foreword by Simon Winchester.
— First.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
HARDCOVER ISBN 978-1-56792-454-1 (alk. paper)
EBOOK ISBN 978-1-56792-497-8
1. Van Doren, Adam, 1962– —Themes, motives. 2. Venice
(Italy)—In art. I. Title.
ND1839.V34A4 2012
759.13—dc23
2011046652
It was
the inevitable
destiny of Venice
to be painted … and
painted with
passion.
Henry James
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Flags in San Marco, 2008. Private Collection
Preface
Theodore K. Rabb
Most people can remember how it felt when they first saw Venice. It’s not quite like the “where were you when …” moment, associated in every generation with traumatic events, such as those of 9/11. This one is not only more pleasurable, but also evokes many senses rather than a solitary stab of memory. And it tends to be followed by a stream of images and recollections, resolving finally into an overall impression that each one of us can sum up as “our” Venice.
This book tells us about one such Venice – Adam Van Doren’s – which crystallizes through the eyes and hands of an artist. It is not a common Venice, and in fact its precedents can be found only in the past three hundred years, even though the city itself can trace its origins back to the fifth century. For the notion that Venice’s buildings and urban spaces are worthy subjects in and of themselves is a relatively new idea. We can see them in the background of famous paintings, such as Gentile Bellini’s Corpus Christi Procession in Piazza San Marco, but they only became a focus of artistic interest in the years around 1700.
Why that happened we are not entirely sure, but in the late seventeenth century pioneers like Carlevaris and Vanvitelli began to find a market for “vedute,” or views, of the city, and in the following century, in the work of Canaletto, Bellotto, and Guardi, these subjects became enormously popular. They appealed especially to tourists, who had been flocking to Venice since the Middle Ages, and who wanted to return home with colorful souvenirs of their visits. Eventually, though, the challenge of capturing the shimmering city on paper or canvas became the preoccupation of a galaxy of foreign artists as well as natives. Some of them, such as Turner and Sargent, are among Van Doren’s heroes, and he makes sure we realize how aware he is of the footsteps in which he is treading.
That he has a few favorites is inevitable, and there
