WALTER RICHARD SICKERT (BRITISH 1860-1942) SCUOLA DI SAN MARCO (OSPEDALE CIVICO) Oil on canvas 38 x 46cm (14¾ x 18 in.)Painted circa 1895-96. Provenance: Private Collection, Miss Ethel Sands, Lady Thurso Maltzhan Gallery, London (by 1971) Private Collection, Lady Weiss Her estate sale, Christie's, South Kensington, The Manor House, Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, 15 September 1998, lot 336 Sale, Sotheby's, London, 4 July 2001, lot 11, where purchased by Robert KimeLiterature: Wendy Baron, Sickert, London, 1973, p. 327, no. 141 (dated to c. 1901) Wendy Baron, Sickert Paintings and Drawings, New Haven & London, 2006, p. 220, no. 103.4 (illustrated) The present work was painted in 1895-96, during Sickert's first of many visits to Venice. Arriving in May 1895, he spent prolonged periods in the city until September 1896, taking a studio on the Calle dei Frate, a residence he would return to on all his subsequent trips. Like generations of artists before him, Sickert was fascinated by the historic architecture and shimmering canals. In addition to the very famous and much-illustrated sites such as San Marco or the Rialto Bridge, Sickert also painted numerous views of lesser-known buildings and picturesque backwaters. As Wendy Baron highlights in her book Sickert Paintings & Drawings, the lack of precise dating in Sickert's Venetian works adds to the challenge of understanding the exact chronology of his paintings. Nonetheless, this exploration of recurring themes and places reveals Sickert's deep connection with Venice and his artistic journey in capturing the city's timeless charm.Repetition is a key feature of Sickert's work in general but notably in his views of Venice and Dieppe. In Venice, he painted version after version of the façade and piazza at San Marco, Santa Maria della Salute, the Rialto Bridge and the Scuola di San Marco. His dedication to revisiting the same locations echoes the architectural series of works produced by the Impressionists and, in particular bear comparison with Monet's series of paintings of Rouen cathedral. However, unlike the Impressionists, he was not overly interested in recording the passing of time and light on his subject matter. Sickert's paintings were frequently executed in his studio from drawings and photographs and he showed scant interest in the effect of changing atmospheric conditions. Instead, he used this repetition to explore variations in colour and tone, experimenting with the handling of paint and the different results that might yield. The Scuola Grande di San Marco, with its grand façade, is one of Venice's most significant architectural sites. It dates from the fifteenth century and was designed by Pietro Lombardo , Mauro Codussi , and Bartolomeo Bon . The situation alongside the Ponte del Cavallo on the Rio dei Mendicanti canal provided Sickert with an ideal composition and it became one of his favoured views during his first visit. Sickert produced six paintings of the subject, each showcasing a slightly different artistic technique ranging from intensely bright colouration with strong reflections to the present example, rendered in soft, feathery tones. There is no sharpness to the painterly brushwork and the colours are muted with the use of subtle layering.
WALTER RICHARD SICKERT (BRITISH 1860-1942) SCUOLA DI SAN MARCO (OSPEDALE CIVICO) Oil on canvas 38 x 46cm (14¾ x 18 in.)Painted circa 1895-96. Provenance: Private Collection, Miss Ethel Sands, Lady Thurso Maltzhan Gallery, London (by 1971) Private Collection, Lady Weiss Her estate sale, Christie's, South Kensington, The Manor House, Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, 15 September 1998, lot 336 Sale, Sotheby's, London, 4 July 2001, lot 11, where purchased by Robert KimeLiterature: Wendy Baron, Sickert, London, 1973, p. 327, no. 141 (dated to c. 1901) Wendy Baron, Sickert Paintings and Drawings, New Haven & London, 2006, p. 220, no. 103.4 (illustrated) The present work was painted in 1895-96, during Sickert's first of many visits to Venice. Arriving in May 1895, he spent prolonged periods in the city until September 1896, taking a studio on the Calle dei Frate, a residence he would return to on all his subsequent trips. Like generations of artists before him, Sickert was fascinated by the historic architecture and shimmering canals. In addition to the very famous and much-illustrated sites such as San Marco or the Rialto Bridge, Sickert also painted numerous views of lesser-known buildings and picturesque backwaters. As Wendy Baron highlights in her book Sickert Paintings & Drawings, the lack of precise dating in Sickert's Venetian works adds to the challenge of understanding the exact chronology of his paintings. Nonetheless, this exploration of recurring themes and places reveals Sickert's deep connection with Venice and his artistic journey in capturing the city's timeless charm.Repetition is a key feature of Sickert's work in general but notably in his views of Venice and Dieppe. In Venice, he painted version after version of the façade and piazza at San Marco, Santa Maria della Salute, the Rialto Bridge and the Scuola di San Marco. His dedication to revisiting the same locations echoes the architectural series of works produced by the Impressionists and, in particular bear comparison with Monet's series of paintings of Rouen cathedral. However, unlike the Impressionists, he was not overly interested in recording the passing of time and light on his subject matter. Sickert's paintings were frequently executed in his studio from drawings and photographs and he showed scant interest in the effect of changing atmospheric conditions. Instead, he used this repetition to explore variations in colour and tone, experimenting with the handling of paint and the different results that might yield. The Scuola Grande di San Marco, with its grand façade, is one of Venice's most significant architectural sites. It dates from the fifteenth century and was designed by Pietro Lombardo , Mauro Codussi , and Bartolomeo Bon . The situation alongside the Ponte del Cavallo on the Rio dei Mendicanti canal provided Sickert with an ideal composition and it became one of his favoured views during his first visit. Sickert produced six paintings of the subject, each showcasing a slightly different artistic technique ranging from intensely bright colouration with strong reflections to the present example, rendered in soft, feathery tones. There is no sharpness to the painterly brushwork and the colours are muted with the use of subtle layering.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
