Piazza San Marco No.25 (White Piazza), 1957 (October)

Jim Ede acquired two views of the Venetian Piazza San Marco, the subject that helped to establish Congdon’s reputation. In this painting, the larger of the two, the church is barely visible. The touches of gold suggest the mosaics of the facade and the church’s domes, that seem to hover in the mist. The autumnal atmosphere is conveyed through the use of grey-green striations sliding down from the sky, which appears full of rain.

The work would not have been made in the Piazza itself, as it was not Congdon’s practice to paint in front of the subject. Instead, he favoured working from memory back in his studio. The technique is typical of Congdon’s style at this time, with paint thickly applied and deeply worked into with knives and needles.