Venice
An Introduction by Desmond Freeman
As with so many things we undertake, the production of my collection of pen and ink drawings of Venetian architecture began experimentally. I had, some years prior, acquired four sheets of the most sumptuous 600gsm Italian paper, and could imagine no better subject for the first sheet than a black ink sketch of Palazzo Santa Sophia, known locally as Ca’ D’Oro, on the Grand Canal. I was, at the time, fascinated by Gothic revival architecture and thought what better exercise by which to explore this fine example of original Gothic style, than with this magnificent building. ...
In the subsequent four years it has taken to produce the collection presented in this book, I have discovered a wealth of subject matter in Venice. A city I first visited with my parents in 1975 and which has ever since captured my imagination. I have eagerly progressed from decorative architectural detail to secret, shaded courtyards and thence to expansive aerial views of Venice, blending both sacred and secular as this magical city does so beautifully. The collection now comprises more than fifty pen and ink drawings some of which are black line work, some painted with a limited colour palette and some in full colour. Many of the pictures use multiple layers of ink to create unique colours and deep shades, in an attempt to capture the Venetian light at a given time of the day or month of the year. One of my fondest and most indelible memories of the city is of a late afternoon in winter standing with my son Nicholas, high in the Campanile of San Marco, looking out over the urban carpet laid at our feet, seemingly woven from gold thread as the low sun bathed all we could see in a soft, hypnotic glow. Equally beguiling to paint is the strong Venetian summer light, creating deep shadows between buildings and adjacent facades and lining the waterways that interlace the city. I have relied heavily on shadow in my drawings to accentuate and model the buildings and their often-complex detail. I have employed white ink extensively to highlight window ledges, statuary and surface decoration, and to capture the proliferation of chimneys above terracotta roofs as they catch the last rays of the afternoon sun.
One feature of these drawings is the focus on complex architectural detail in roofs, windows, façade treatments and streetscapes. There is great satisfaction for me in ‘building’ the drawing from its basic form, tackling the challenge of proportion and scale and adding the complexity of the detail as it evolves. I am often asked how long these drawings take to produce, and it is generally difficult to quantify given that they become so totally absorbing that time seems to stand still for me. It is not unusual to spend ten to twelve hours at a stretch immersed in the work. To achieve such focus on detail requires that I refer to numerous reference books and photographs. In the pursuit of this passion I have assembled a comprehensive, diverse and fascinating library of reference material that has introduced me to many of the great architects, artists, sculptors, writers and politicians of Venice who have influenced the subjects of my pictures. My research indicates that the strategic, politico-economic development of the Republic of Venice has influenced its built environment more directly than in most other significant ancient cities. This thesis is no more clearly explored than by author Dial Parrott’s authoritative volume in which he pairs “an account of the eight-century creation of the Piazza San Marco with a detailed chronological narrative of the entire social, political, military and economic history of Venice”.[1] I found Parrott’s work an essential aid in appreciating the evolution of the urban planning and architectural character of this significant part of Venice.
The drawings in this book by no means accurately portray the buildings or streetscapes they represent. I am greatly encouraged to learn that even some of the great vedute (view paintings) of the 18th century are what is termed vedute esatte (precise views), implying precise representations that nevertheless were sometimes modified by the artist. “Canaletto almost always improved on what could be seen in order to engage the viewer; he allows us impossibly wide panoramas, does not shy away from moving or omitting either architectural details or whole buildings if the result is more pleasing and employs numerous devices to enrich our perception of details of colour and texture.”[2]
The exhibition, ‘Desmond Freeman Venice, Pen and ink drawings of the architecture of Venice’ that displayed the original works now reproduced in this book, was first proposed by Hon. Michael Yabsley and was held at his gallery in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales in conjunction with Maunsell Wickes at Barry Stern Galleries, Paddington, Sydney. My sincere thanks go to both gallerists for their support and encouragement. A smaller exhibition, La Serenissima at the Ten Thousand Paces Gallery in Bowral in 2015, presented some of the prints and my thanks go to the director, Hamish Ta-mé.
I also wish to thank this book’s graphic designer, Stephen Goddard of Projecttwo Graphics, for his patience in dealing with a fellow designer and his great talent in designing artist’s books. My thanks also to Peter Doneux, a director of M. Perkins & Son UK that so generously agreed to license me to use their Venezia fabric design for the cover of the book. I am most grateful for the endorsement of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura and the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Australia Inc and the gracious support of its CEO and Secretary General, Nicholas Cagè.
The process of creating and assembling the collection for the exhibition and this book would have been impossible to achieve without the forbearance, generosity and support of my beloved family.
I gratefully acknowledge the unstinting support, patience and encouragement of my wife Christine during the many years that have led to this point with the drawings and the book. Christine’s commitment to the study of medieval history inspired me to understand the context of what I was drawing and to search beyond surface form and design. The captions she painstakingly researched for the book compliment the drawings beautifully.
I have dedicated this book to my parents, Harold and Dorothy Freeman whose determination that my sisters and I should, above all else, have the best possible education, has enabled me to travel the paths that I have. My father still enquires daily about progress with this or that picture and his involvement is a constant source of inspiration to me.
I have been the fortunate recipient of much encouragement from my beloved children. Heartfelt thanks must go to my daughter and son-in-law, Penelope and Thomas Eberhart Freeman, for their generosity and dependable, constructive advice, and enthusiastic and creative promotion of my work. My warm thanks goes also to my son Nicholas in recognition of his inspired and beautiful graphic design and for his wholehearted support for the entire project.
It is difficult to express adequately my debt of thanks to the many dear friends and family members, both near and far-flung, and too numerous to list here, who gave me the confidence and wherewithal to pursue my passion and realise this dream. The topic of Venice and her special place in many hearts has been explored in many a congenial gathering. This book adds another voice to that endlessly fascinating conversation.
Dial Parrott, The Genius of Venice, Piazza San Marco and the Making of the Republic (New York: Rizzoli, 2013), xiv.
[2] Christopher Baker, Canaletto (London: Phaidon, 1994) 9.
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