Drawing and Illusion - Images of
Venice
A Gondola on the Grand Canal
This
week I visited Venice for 4 days with Mami and two friends, it was a surprise
holiday arranged by Mami to celebrate my 60th birthday. The last time I
was in Venice I was an 18 year old and on the threshold of
adulthood, it was a flying visits as part of a camping tour round
Europe. This time we stayed in a gorgeous hotel with marble
staircases near the Rialto Bridge and just a short walk from St
Mark's Square, we also had four full days to enjoy the luxuries of the
city. The window from our room looked out onto a small courtyard
with a most magnificent palm tree.
The Palm tree as seen from
our bedroom window
Of
course the first day was spent sightseeing in St Mark's where we took a long
tour of the Doge's Palace. In the evening, whilst waiting for the others
to join me at a restaurant, I sat by one of the narrow
canals. My drawings are really reconstructions from memories, and it
always takes a while to learn how to draw a new subject, I set out to work out
how to draw the gondolas that were sliding silently through the water in
front of me.
A Gondolier
To
one side I could see passers-by who would stop to watch the gliding
gondolas passing underneath the bridges. This is little girl crossing the
bridge with her mother
Mother and child crossing a
bridge
and
a woman in a straw hat
Tourist in a Straw Hat
This
is a picture of a little Dutch girl and her mother who were part one of a large
family; I only had time to draw two of them before they were all around me
asking to look at my drawings.
A Young Belgium Girl with her
Family
Often
the Gondolas carry very precious cargo; couples with an expression of
calmness and togetherness. The women, safe in the protective embrace
of their menfolk, look with still eyes that caress in wonderment the
architecture on the high walls of the houses that border the narrow
waterways. I failed to capture this expression, perhaps this drawing
comes closest.
Couple in a Gondola
the
next day we set off early in a boat from the hotel to the lagoon
island of Murano where they have many Venetian glass workshops, our
hosts met us at the quay and escorted us to a workshop where master
craftsmen were at work. I could not resist getting out my sketch book
Glassblowing on Murano
I
had not made many sketches before we were moved on to their
showrooms. They tempted us with their wares, our passion was briefly
taken by a set of 8 wineglasses for £1000, and fortunately we had the
presence of mind not to lose our heads. From Murano we took another
boat to an island called Burano where they make Venetian lace. This
was a really charming and peaceful village with a single canal running
down it's center, and many friendly family restaurants which served
us delicious Sea Bream.
Burano - a small Island where
they make Venetian Lace
I
drew whilst Mami toured the shops. This is a tourist sitting in an
alleyway
Tourist on Burano
and
this is Mami waiting for me to finish a drawing
Mami waiting for me to finish
a Drawing
On
the third day, whilst the others were visiting a gallery, I stood on top of
a large wooden bridge that spanned the Grand Canal and looked across at
a scene busy with boats, restaurants and magnificent architecture
that lay beneath my feet. It is rare for me to draw scenes, but
Venice is a city that pulses with serenity, the ancient Venetians
always said their city was a lady. I love drawing beautiful
ladies.
View Across the Grand Canal
At
one end of the Bridge was a bag salesman called Pabu Amina, as tourists
passed his pitch he ran up and down the steps bantering with them
in fluent Italian, French and English. His skin was a deep
blue-black, beaded with sweat like fresh dew glistened in the sun.
Pabu Selling Bags on the
Grand Canal
A
little girl, carrying a rolled parasol, dressed in white and a straw
boater slipped by. She looked like one of the children from the film
"Death in Venice", this fleeting encounter that left a strong
visual impression on me; this is how I remember her to be
Girl with a Parasol
Later
in the day we visited a church where there were the tombs of Titian,
Canova and Monteverdi, and painted walls, paintings by Bernini and Titian,
and a sculpture by Donatello. Outside the church my friends
waited for me to complete a drawing of a clock tower. They
lay lazily in a cool corner of the square and together made a perfect
composition against the hard stone walls of the buildings around. I kept
them waiting longer because they were an irresistible target for my pencil!
Bridgett, Brendan and
Mami Resting in
a Cool Corner of the Square
In
Venice every wall in every alleyway is decorated.
Pigeon in an Alcove
On
the morning of the final day we toured the narrow canalways of Venice by
gondola. After we debarked we had two hours to wait before the
boat came to collect us to take us to the airport, so I settled myself on the
steps of a church near our hotel. I was looking across a square
and drew the tourists and Mami who were shopping and relaxing around
a marble column finished with elegant black ironwork.
Shoppers and Tourists
clustered in groups around a monument at the centre of the Square
Mami
Shopping
Mami Shopping
The
Italians love to talk, like this shopkeeper who was standing in the
doorway of her shop chatting with passers by
Gossiping Shopkeeper
or
these two friends who were also gossiping
Gossiping Couple
A
little French boy with a soft blue silk scarf around his neck was running
across the square and chasing the pigeons. His name was Mael
Mael Chasing Pigeons
His
brother Luca was sitting just behind me
Mael's elder brother Luca
Their mother,
a red rose in her hair, gave her children gilati which they eat
in the sun, this allowed the young parents time to rest a while
Luca with his gilato
Luca
was quiet and busy writing something on a little pad, later I discovered he was
drawing me, we exchanged email addresses and agreed to send pictures to each
other. Eventually the father lifted a large rucksack on his back,
and the mother picked up Mael; it was time for the family to go to do some
more sightseeing.
It was time for the family to
go on their way
It
was also time for us to go back to our hotel. The sun had shone
throughout our four days in Venice, for the first time there were clouds
in the sky and the air was beginning to spit with rain. When we arrived
at the airport it was raining, when we arrived back in Wales is was still
raining, but our garden is a flood of colour that rivals Venetian
beauty. Being 60 is not all bad, but I cannot wait another 42 years
before visiting the serene lady of Venice again, meanwhile I have plenty to
draw.
