Urban Realism and the American Scene

The Grand Canal, Venice, c. 1898–99
Object-Maurice Brazil Prendergast, The Grand Canal, Venice
Watercolorist and oil painter Maurice Brazil Prendergast produced vivid, modernist compositions that capture the sparkling effects of light and movement in public places. Painted during his eighteen-month stay in Italy, in 1898 and 1899, this work provides a bird’s-eye view of a bustling area along the central Venetian canal. Façades of splendid palaces border the waterway, while formal and color contrasts emphasize a surprisingly vertical division between land and water. A crowd of pedestrians on the street offers a strong counterpoint to the brightly shining water on the left, where a handful of gondolas punctuate the surface. Carefully inserted are white-clad figures that balance the rich colors of the busy scene and demonstrate Prendergast’s polished compositional skills. His mastery of watercolor technique allows the colors to merge with one another while retaining their individuality. The picture confirms the artist’s status as an innovative interpreter of modern life.
Learn more about this watercolor on the Terra Foundation website.
The Grand Canal, Venice, c. 1898–99
Urban Realism and the American Scene

Bal Bullier, c. 1895

The Grand Canal, Venice, c. 1898–99

Theater Scene, 1903

Salem Willows, 1904

Knitting for the Soldiers: High Bridge Park, c. 1918

Sylvester, 1914

Cranberrying, Monhegan, c. 1907

The Palisades, 1909

Figure in Motion, 1913

Slaves, 1925

Builders of the Desert, 1923

Chicago, 1930

Pip and Flip, 1932

Between Acts, 1935

Bucks County Barn, 1940

After Church, 1941

Dawn in Pennsylvania, 1942

Bar-b-que, 1942

Clown with Drum, 1942

Sierra Madre at Monterrey, 1943