From: Owner (file 9-15-2003)
Date: Sun, 14 Sep 2003

This was painted with astonishingly vigorous brush. Signed lower left in brown by the artist.

J.S.S., unfettered by the demand for likeness took many trips to Venice, where he painted to please himself. Most all of his Venetian  works were in watercolour, this is a  very rare painting.

The mosaic like manner in which the paint is applied with happy gusto, out shines any of his contemporaries for freedom in plien aire painting. He makes Cezanne and Van Gogh shabby by comparison, in my opinion. 

The date is correct, however he did rework the water to simplify at a later date, according to Eugene Ormond who used the painting as the frontispiece in his book about his famous granduncle.

[The image you have] is a very faithful
copy. I will measure it for you.
 

Notes: 
 

• See the year in review  1899

Additional files off record #9-15-2003