À propos de l’œuvre
Le Grand Canal, Venise, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · 1908 · MFA Boston 19.171 · W1738
The Grand Canal in Venice W1738hand painted reproduction
The Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute rises beyond a curtain of mooring stakes. The largest, almost in the center, divides the composition and gives a spectacular scale to the distance. Around it, the dome, facades and water respond to each other in blues, pinks, greens and yellows.
Look at the work
The Grand Canal seen from Palazzo Barbaro, with a mooring pile that transforms the classic view into modern framing
The large dark bricola crosses almost the entire height and shifts the basilica to the right. Other finer stakes punctuate the left, accompanied by small gondolas. The line of the palaces remains low, which leaves the sky and especially the canal with considerable scale.
The Salute dome is never isolated by a clear outline. Pale blue, pink, mauve and yellow overlap on the architecture. In the water, the same hues stretch into horizontal reflections, while the large central vertical becomes a very deep blue rather than a black.
W1738 renews a famous view of Venice: the stake placed in the foreground affirms the presence of the viewer and contrasts a steep vertical with the diffuse atmosphere.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
A view from Palazzo Barbaro
Monet first stayed at Palazzo Barbaro on the Grand Canal. From his landing stage, he looks towards Santa Maria della Salute and paints several variations of the motif. The low position explains the importance of the stakes and water in the foreground.
The central pile as a composition decision
The darker element hides part of the basilica and breaks the postcard view. It connects the lower edge to the sky, divides the panorama asymmetrically and gives depth to distant buildings.
A painting entered into the MFA by the Cochrane legacy
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston retains this version under number 19.171. She joined the museum in 1919 with the bequest of Alexander Cochrane, within an important collection of French paintings.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The MFA Boston's single reference image measures 2,202 × 1,748 px. It remains at its native definition and has been converted into a real WebP, without artificial enlargement.
A dark vertical in front of the domes
The main pile acts as a clean cut, but its edges remain colorful and slightly vibrant. The small stakes on the left repeat the pattern at different distances.
Turquoise blue, pink, yellow and purple
The pastel colors of architecture extend into the water. The blue in the foreground warms with pink and yellow, while the purple shadows maintain the volumes.
Dense touches around the reflections
The water is constructed by short superimposed strips which change color on contact with the piles and gondolas. The basilica receives a lighter and diffuse material.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
This information concerns precisely The Grand Canal of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession 19.171 and Wildenstein catalog 1738.
MFA Boston 19.171, W1738
This oil on canvas from 1908 measures approximately 73.7 × 92.9 cm. It belongs to the group of six views of the Grand Canal facing Santa Maria della Salute.
Legacy of Alexander Cochrane in 1919
The work entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston through the bequest of Alexander Cochrane. Today it is one of the milestones of the presentation dedicated to Monet in the museum's collections.
Six variations of the Grand Canal
Monet resumes framing from Palazzo Barbaro under neighboring effects. Versions W1736 to W1741 differ in light, visual position of piles and intensity of reflections.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The MFA Boston 19.171 and Wildenstein 1738 version
- The original ratio of approximately 73.7 × 92.9 cm
- The large blue bricola preserved as an axis without turning black
- The pastel reflections and the small gondolas held in the lagoon
Work sheet
| Title | The Grand Canal in Venice W1738 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1908 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73.7 × 92.9 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, United States |
| Inventory | 19.171 · Wildenstein 1738 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
Turquoise blue, powder pink, light yellow, purple and sea green compose a luminous reproduction with a powerful graphic axis. It is suitable for a contemporary living room or office as well as a classic interior, with a fine black, walnut or patinated gold frame.
