This is a picture that my brother Randy took in Venice. It is of the Bridge of Sighs, where the condemned had their last breath of fresh air. The powers that be in Venice thought it was a swell idea to cover both sides of canal leading to the Bridge of Sighs with enormous faux skies replete with advertising. This cropped image eliminates much of the advertising along the sides of the canal but leaves Julianne Moore on high. Italy seems to have gone to the dark side. A few years ago, I found a huge banner of a half naked man promoting Sisley clothing hanging over most of the buildings at one end of the Piazza Navonna. When I took pictures of the Neptune fountain the ad was unavoidable.
I liked the juxtaposition of art and commerce("Roman Gods: Then and Now"). Over 5 feet tall, it took me months and months to paint.
My brother thought his photo of Venice would be a natural partner to the piece. I stretched another huge linen canvas and began painting a month and a half ago. I had a great title: The Bridge of $ighs.
Yesterday, as I was explaining the work in progress to a visitor in Studio 3 I remembered something I learned as a writer. Whenever I had a play of words that required research to perfect (this was long before the internet made such quests a snap), the effort expended was an inverse proportion to the likelihood it would be used. Unless someone had been to Venice, this painting would always require explanation. So, yesterday, I chucked it, whiting out the piece.
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