Venice

© Estate of Henri Berssenbrugge

Venice

Currently not on view

Venice,

1934

Henri Berssenbrugge, Dutch, 1873 - 1959
x1993-91

In 1934, Berssenbrugge accompanied the Dutch Travel Association to Italy, where he was captivated by the Mediterranean light. In this detail of two gondolas, he plays with the reflection of light on the water. However, his interest did not primarily lie in impressionistic effects; the clear focus on the anchored gondolas gives the image a sense of stability rather than spontaneous movement. Known for the gum bichromate process that gives his photographs a picturesque look, he wanted his city views to be fairly plain and true to life. The attention to the curves and horizontal lines of the gondolas’ iron prows could point to the influence of Art Deco, a style Berssenbrugge captured in his more decorative photographs.

Information

Title
Venice
Dates

1934

Maker
Henri Berssenbrugge
Medium
Gum bichromate print
Dimensions
39.5 x 29.1 cm (15 9/16 x 11 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, anonymous gift
Object Number
x1993-91
Inscription
Signed in ink, recto lower left corner: HBERSSENBRUGGE / DER HAAG Inscribed verso upper left corner: 6 Inscribed verso center: 35 / KERST SALON AMSTERDAM / BRUSSEL / ANTWERPEN 1935 / Kortryk 1935 / Los Angeles 1936 / Detroit 1937 / SYRACUSE 1936 / KERSTSALON, AMSTERDAM, / 1934-’35 // H.A.7.V / (illegible) 1937 // VENETIE // H.BERSSENBRUGGE / DEN HAAG / (MULT. GUM) / procedé : (comb. gomdruk) Stamped verso upper right corner and verso lower right corner Printed verso lower right corner: 694 Exhibition label affixed verso upper left: Seventh Focus Salon of Amsterdam 1947 Exhibition label affixed verso upper right: Fifth International Photographic Salon of the Syracuse Camera Club Exhibition label affixed verso lower left: Association Belge de Photographie et Cinématographie, XIVe Salon, 1935 Exhibition label affixed verso lower right: Twentieth Annual International Photographic Salon of the Camera Pictorialists of Los Angeles
Culture
Dutch
Type
photographs, black-and-white photographs
Subject
canoes, buildings, canals

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