Venice, Ponte San Pietro

Max Pollak

Max Pollak, like many other early 20th-century printmakers, pays homage to James Abbott McNeill Whistler, traveling to Venice, Italy, and recording the backstreets of the city.

This composition is abstracted, quickly drawn onto the plate emphasizing a gondola beneath the bridge. The bridge itself is cut in half, windows are implied, and an object intrudes into the lower left, like a Japanese print. The viewers are left to create the whole moment with their imagination.

This bridge is likely one connecting the Venetian island of San Pietro di Castello, formerly Olivolo. It is located in the Venetian Lagoon and forms part of the Castello sestiere. It is linked to the main islands of Venice by two bridges.