This painting depicts a scene of a bridge over a canal. The perspective is close to the water, with buildings on the left side and in the background behind the pale blue bridge. The buildings include a tall tan belltower in the center of the painting. On the left, a long brown boat floats in the water by the buildings. The buildings are in shades of cream, teal, dark blue, brown, pink, and peach. The canal is mostly gray and white, but it reflects some shades of blue and peach from the buildings. The sky above is cream. The painting uses soft pastel colors and fluid, visible brushstrokes, causing some of the colors to blend together.
Read the visual description

This painting depicts a scene of a bridge over a canal. The perspective is close to the water, with buildings on the left side and in the background behind the pale blue bridge. The buildings include a tall tan belltower in the center of the painting. On the left, a long brown boat floats in the water by the buildings. The buildings are in shades of cream, teal, dark blue, brown, pink, and peach. The canal is mostly gray and white, but it reflects some shades of blue and peach from the buildings. The sky above is cream. The painting uses soft pastel colors and fluid, visible brushstrokes, causing some of the colors to blend together.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Bridge and Campanile, Venice

John Singer Sargent

Date
1902/1904
Medium
watercolor over black chalk on thick wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 49.5 × 35.2 cm (19 1/2 × 13 7/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1970.17.169
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Time span
1901 to 1925
Department
CG-W

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • exterior
  • architecture
  • Impressionist
  • Waterway
  • Venice
Provenance

Purchased from the artist by Juliet Trower; (sale, Sotheby's, London, 20 July 1921, no. 195); David Croal Thomson, London; (John Levy Galleries, New York); (M. Knoedler & Co., New York), 1924; Robert Sterling Clark; (M. Knoedler & Co., New York), 1927; acquired 1954 by Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969]; bequest 1970 to NGA.

Inscription

lower left in brown ink: John S. Sargent

NGA object ID 52313. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.