At the Festival of the Redeemer (Festa del Redentore)
Artist
Ivan Gregorewitch Olinsky
(1878 - 1962)
Date1908
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions24 x 32 in.
ClassificationsOil Painting
Credit LineGift of John and Richard Miller
Terms
Object number2003.26
DescriptionDuring Olinsky's 1908-10 stay in Europe he went to France and Italy, touring museums and visiting several art colonies. He found Venice a land of enchanting architecture and light and completed many on-the-spot sketches that demonstrate his youthful experimentation. Alternately painting more sharply focused oils of canals and bridges and then more amorphous subjects such as the clock tower, he delighted in life in the ancient city. He no doubt was aware of Whistler's various abstract compositions based on his own sojourns in Venice because many of Olinsky's works from this time are similarly subtle and atmospheric. The "New York Times" reported his arrest by Venetian police who came upon him painting in the Piazza San Marco at night. The spectacles he enjoyed must have remained indelibly etched in his mind long after his departure from Venice, as he painted from memory a striking Venetian nighttime fête while on a visit to Vernon, in Normandy. Other paintings of Venice specifically relate to changing weather conditions that clothe the city in a range of colors from gray to bright blue. One of the most successful landscapes is "At the Festival of the Redeemer" (Festa del Redentore). The artist has set up his easel on the Zattere, with the pontoon bridge spanning the Giudecca Canal from center right on a sharp diagonal to the left, culminating at the Church of the Redeemer. Assorted gondolas with their passengers linger on the canal. In the foreground two young ladies elegantly attired in pink and blue dresses with matching broad-brimmed straw hats gaze out at the canal and the cortege of state and ecclesiastical officers on their way to the church. The stunning painting demonstrates Olinsky's deft Impressionistic handling of light as it dances across the watery expanse. The July sun that basks the scene in warmth is almost palpable and the intense blue green mixed with flecks of other colors is arresting.
Andrea Palladio (1508-80) was commissioned by the Venetian Senate to build a grand church on the island of Guidecca was in fulfillment of a vow to be kept on the deliverance of the city from the devastating plague of 1575-76. Palladio imbued his Church of the Redeemer, which was to be his last building in Venice, with a sense of theater. After the Council of Trent, the Church of Rome responded to the growth of Protestant sects with a concerted effort that led to the Counter Reformation. The Latin cross plan was favored over the central plan in an effort to find shapes for a rejuvenated liturgy. Similarly, the almost complete abstention from nonarchitectural ornament and the chaste whiteness of the interior, both characteristics of the Redeemer, were hallmarks of the Palladian style.
The Venetian senate entrusted the care of the church to the Capuchin Order and vowed to visit annually in perpetuity. A grandiose ritual was initiated and continues to be celebrated each year on the third weekend in July. At one time, the Doge and the senators proceeded over a temporary causeway consisting of gondolas and barges assembled across the Gindecca canal and the ceremony concluded with prayers within the magnificent church's tribune, especially designed by Palladio for this purpose. The festival remains a colorful reminder of Venice's golden age and attracts thousands of onlookers who revel in the spectacle of costumes, music, and fireworks.
On View
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