Water Carriers, Venice

Download3000 × 1960 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Frank Duveneck (American, 1848–1919)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 48 3/8 x 73 1/8 in. (122.8 x 185.7 cm.)
Museum: Smithsonian Institution
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Welcome to modern Venice, a living city where local fishermen and families proudly perform their everyday chores, like fetching fresh water from communal cisterns, against a magnificent maritime backdrop. You stand on the Riva degli Schiavoni, the waterfront promenade adjacent to St. Mark's Basilica, the Ducal Palace, and other renowned attractions, but this is not a pristine, souvenir-style view of famous monuments.

It recognizes instead the economic reality of Italy in the late nineteenth century, when the newly self-governing nation was in the midst of a dramatic transformation to greater economic productivity. The dragging shoulder of the young girl on the far right signals the contributions of all ages to this recovery and growth. These children are dreamers and workers, poised to restore Venice's leadership in trade, manufacturing, and the visual arts.