Arthur Streeton

Arthur Streeton
Australian 1867–1943

Santa Maria della Salute  1908
oil on canvas
Geelong Gallery
Gift of TS Hawkes, 1914

In early 1908, Arthur Streeton and his wife Nora departed England for Venice. Buoyed by the commercial success of exhibitions in Australia in the previous year, Streeton worked prolifically with the aim of producing sufficient paintings to mount an exhibition.

In this work, Streeton depicts one of Venice’s most recognisable buildings, the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, located on a narrow strip of land as the Grand Canal meets the Bacino di San Marco. The Basilica was completed in 1681 to the design of Baldassare Longhena with its unusual octagonal form, highly decorative façade and large dome with a statue of the Virgin Mary.