Oliver Dennett Grover, “The Grand Canal, Venice,” Oil on Cardstock, 1904

""

This composition depicts mostly water and sky. The canal, scattered with gondolas, fills the bottom half of the painting and narrows to wind around the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore. In the upper left third of the canvas, the bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore rises above the the domed roofs of the Santa Maria Della Salute beyond. The light blue-gray colors that dominate this painting evoke the cool humidity of early-morning weather. A small bright spot at the top, just left of center, shines faintly pink on the water and suggests that sunlight is beginning to penetrate the mist.

Dimensions:
4 1/2″ x 6 1/2″
Oliver Dennett Grover
(1861-1927)
More about the artist

Oliver Dennett Grover was born in Earlville, Illinois and moved to Chicago as a child. He studied locally at the Chicago Academy of Design before travelling to Europe for further studies in places including Munich and Paris. He joined the Art Institute of Chicago in 1887 and was a founding member of the Eagle’s Nest Art Colony. Grover painted landscapes, portraits, and murals. He won several prizes over the years, including the Yerkes Prize in 1892, and the Kahn Prize in 1913. Some of Grover’s murals can be seen at the rotunda of the James Blackstone Memorial Library Branford, Connecticut, and that of the Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Related Posts: