A5 (14.8 x 21 cm) single postcard featuring The Rialto, Venice by Joseph Mallord William Turner, part of the National Galleries of Scotland Collection.
The distinctive architecture of the Rialto Bridge is depicted in shade, immediately enhancing its powerful presence across the Grand Canal. Turner used the whiteness of the paper itself to describe the sun-bleached facades of the buildings, simply suggesting the architectural detail with a few light touches of the brush. The contrast of light and shadow between buildings and bridge is striking.
Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 – 19 December 1851), known as J. M. W. Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker, and watercolourist, known for his brilliant, expressive colourisation, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings.
