The Rialto, Venice, Frank Duveneck

Exhibition Label:
"American Etchers Abroad, 1880-1939," Apr-2004, Reed Anderson
Frank Duveneck devoted twenty-three of his thirty known etchings to Venice, and his interpretations of the fabled city are unlike any others. In Duveneck’s etchings, created between 1880-85, the burning light of a summer’s day washes over the medieval architecture, with the city’s canals, rivas, and bridges providing a spectacular backdrop for the flurry of human activity that he masterfully captured in his prints.
etchings like "The Rialto" are elaborate and crowded compositions that can reward the patient viewer with an endless supply of fresh and intoxicating details. One of the most recognized bridges in the world, the Rialto takes its name from rivo alto (high bank). It is in one of the first areas of the city to be inhabited, a banking district before becoming the bustling market neighborhood it is today. The arcaded stone bridge, which has become a symbol of Venice, replaced an earlier wooden structure in 1591. Until the wooden bridge was built near the Accademia in 1854, the Rialto was the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot. Few visitors leave Venice without crossing the Rialto, which provides an ever-changing view of life on the busy waterway.