Venice Portfolio: Seeing Venice

Seeing Venice

As Eleanor Lavish stated in E.M. Forester’s novel, A Room with a View, “The true Italy is only to be found by patient observation” (11). Venice is often seen simply through a quick glance at postcards, paintings or photographs, and without ever traveling to the city itself one is able to experience Venice. However, the true, authentic Venice, the one beyond the first glance, can only be discovered with time and patience. Apart from the initial tourist gaze, this saturated, experienced view of the city is essential in understanding Venice. In my portfolio, I aim to discover the development and progression of the visual interpretation of the city and the importance of seeing the “raw” side of Venice that can be found “in the details.” I raise the question: How is the Venice seen “at first glance” different than the Venice seen after many glances and through exploration of the “deeper depths” (to quote Henry James) of the city? My interpretation of this development is rooted in both personal experience, scientific theory, and personal interviews conducted with tourists. The purpose of my portfolio is to take viewers through the visual experience of “seeing Venice” and the different stages associated with this visual experience. My portfolio focuses on this progression of visual interpretation, in itself a complete experience; therefore, I found that it could not be represented in broken fragments or separate appendices. I felt that the best way to represent my portfolio and expand on the ideas presented in my introductory paper was through a movie highlighting the experience and progression of the visual impression of this splendid city. Through this video I recreate this experience for viewers through depicting the different stages of knowing Venice: the stage of the preconceived notions, the Venice at first glance, and finally the saturated and raw view of the city.

Preconceived Notions
Venice is everywhere- in photographs and postcards, artwork and literature, television and film; therefore, it is difficult to escape the legacy of Venice in our modern world. Both visually and orally, Venice has projected itself out into the world and has developed a solid reputation. Venice has long been known as an icon of romance, decaying beauty and peace. These identities linked to Venice have all been perpetuated through both myth and the media. Early writers such as Casanova and Byron promoted the romantic aura of the city and credited the image of Venice as a sexual playground. In recent years, films such as “Dangerous Beauty” and “The Wings of the Dove” also present the city in this highly sexualized way. The image of Venice as a decaying beauty has been represented through both art and photography, often focusing on the crumbling buildings and ancient walls that beautifully create this romanticized image of the city. The early myth of Venice captured the idea of Venice as a peaceful republic, while the modern myth associated with the city contributes Venice as a center for escape and peaceful solitude. Modern postcards of Venice depict quiet, aqua-colored canals, often flanked by a single gondola, and empty streets void of tourists. Modern guidebooks also present Venice in such a way. In his 2009 guidebook, Rick Steves introduces Venice with this remark-“Romantics revel in its atmosphere of elegant decay, seeing the peeling plaster and seaweed-covered stairs as a metaphor for beauty in decline. And first-time visitors are often stirred deeply, awaking from their ordinary lives to a fantasy world unlike anything they’ve ever seen before” (1). The Venice portrayed in the media is often a flawless and magical fantasy world, acting as a simulacrum to remind us of our real life.

These myths and prescribed impressions of Venice have a fundamental impact on the public’s perception of the city. This impact is heightened by the visual fetishism of our contemporary culture. In his essay Picture Theory, W.J.T. Mitchell speaks to this fetishism and describes it as a direct result of the modern media, which perpetuates particular images to the public. He argues that we, the public, also enslave ourselves in this illusion, and although we know it is not real, we lavish ourselves in the falsity of these images. In modern society, there is a large fetishism with the image of Venice, even though these worshipped images are often falsified, or simply extremely rare, views of the city. The predominance of these idealized images leads the public to picture Venice in a particular way; however, what is rarely captured is the unpleasant and unspectacular details of the city that also compose the identity of Venice.

The Cultivation Theory is a popular theory in the Communication field that further describes this phenomenon, and states that the media, especially television, is “responsible for shaping, or ‘cultivating’ viewers’ conceptions of social reality” (University of Twente website). Another popular term in Communication theory, Framing, also describes the media influence on our society. Framing refers to how the media depicts certain issues to influence how and what the viewers think about these issues, thereby influencing the perceptions of the audience. Venice is constantly depicted through a specific “frame” by the media, and therefore people perceive Venice to be a particular way. The frame of Venice would be one full of all of the previously mentioned iconic ideas- romance, decaying beauty and peace. Images of gondolas, canals and Carnivale masks would also be included in this frame. My classmate’s blogs describing their “Venice Imagined” further supports this theory. Natalie Banka described her expectations of the city, writing “The images we see of Venice are ones trapped between astonishing beauty and melancholy. If I had to conjure up just one cliché of Venice, it would be a foggy morning with no one in sight except gondoliers.” Caylen Redden, another Wonders of Venice student, stated in her blog: “I imagine Venice in the romanticized way it appears in pictures on calendars and shows on the travel channel- a bright, sunny Mediterranean city where the people are friendly and the pace of life is slower.” As these blogs express, Venice suggests specific stereotypes and impressions from its strong presence in the modern media.

The problem with these prescribed images can best be described with a quote from E.H. Gombrich from his essay entitled Art and Illusion. Gombrich writes, “For the artist, too, cannot transcribe what he sees; he can only translate it into the terms of his medium. He, too, is strictly tied to the range of tones which his medium will yield” (8). Gombrich highlights the dilemma when depicting any realistic subject through art- the mediums used chain the subject to a specific interpretation and can never fully capture the complete experience. For example, a photograph of the Rialto may convey the visual experience at one specific moment in time, but what about the experience at the next moment? What about the smells and sounds of the surrounding environment? Artistic mediums, although helpful, cannot fully convey and describe the subject. This leads the viewer to create their own interpretation of these missing factors. Therefore, myths are perpetuated and the true experience must be gained by fully experiencing Venice in real life.

Venice at First Glance
According to the Gestalt Theory of Visual Perception, when we look at an image, rather reproduced or in real time, we immediately see it as one big picture and not in broken fragments. Our eyes perceive the whole over the specific parts of the image and therefore we miss important details many times when perceiving a scene. The Gestalt Theory also states that “parts identified individually have different characteristics to the whole” (http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/~kbroom/Lectures/gestalt.htm). This theory is notable when analyzing the initial first glance of Venice. When first seeing Venice, the city molds itself into a single landscape and visually overwhelms. Even specific elements of the city, such as St. Mark’s Basilica, are often viewed as a whole, allowing viewers to gaze upon the all together glory of the Byzantine gem, but often without the beautiful details that help create the building.

The Venice seen at first glance is naturally different for both the collective and romantic tourist, and Venice beautifully satisfies both entities. With a booming tourist industry completed by the multitude of shops and businesses catered specifically towards tourists, from gondolas to tacky souvenir stands, Venice is a haven for the collective tourist. The multiple signs around the city identifying the direction of the major tourist sites, such as St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto, help to collect groups of tourists and focus them in central locations, allowing the collective tourist the satisfaction of being around others like themselves. However, Venice is also perfectly crafted for the Romantic tourist, tempting them with its narrow and quiet calles that flirt with the idea of solitude and the possibility of “getting lost” in the city. Venice serves as a beautiful slice of the past and pieces of domestic life, such as clothes on balconies hanging out to dry, satisfy the Romantic’s “authentic” view of the city. I try to avoid generalities in my analysis, understanding that the Venice at first glance is a complexity within itself and is dramatically different for every individual. However, interviews with tourists and my own personal experience suggest that overall Venice appears to be a beautiful mystery that lays before the eyes a fantastical land of magic and beauty.

During the initial visual interpretation of the city, particular items stand out- the bright pastels of the buildings, the monumental architectural gems such as St. Mark’s Basilica, the gondolas and the canals. However, it is easy to miss the details, and it is not until we look closer that we discover the true nature of the city.

Venice “In the Details”
Henry James once wrote, “Venice has been painted and described many thousands of times, and of all the cities of the world is the easiest to visit without going there. Open the first book and you will find a rhapsody about it; step into the first picture-dealer’s and you will find three or four high-coloured “views” of it” (Italian Hours, 3). As previously discussed, this statement could not be closer to the truth. However, it is interesting to note that James places the word “views” in parenthesis. This action, however subtle, strongly highlights the inaunthenticity of these prescribed images. The postcards sold on the various stands and shops throughout Venice are all very similar, and yet all lack several of the basic elements of Venice itself- unpleasant decay, trash, flooding, and swarming hordes of tourists. These elements are prevalent around Venice, but sometimes require a bit of a deeper look. People rarely document what they do not want to remember, and the unpleasant underbelly of Venice is often ignored in publicized images of the city. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Men fall in love with a painting that does not represent any living woman” (Picture Theory, 332). Many are infatuated with Venice without ever truly knowing her, and fall in love with the fantastical qualities of the city without looking at the deeper authenticity of the city. Saturation in the city requires a look at the details and study of the true nature of the city itself. With saturation, the details become important- the gilded bronze horses, religious mosaics and the hidden “Four Tetrarchs” sculpture on St. Mark’s Basilica are all brought to life with a second glance. These details help to weave together the story of the Basilica and speak to the identity of Venice as a whole. The raw, authentic Venice is found through personal exploration in the city, not a glance at a postcard or an immediate first glance; it requires time and a second look.

The importance of saturation while visually experiencing Venice can best be described through a quote from Walter Benjamin’s essay entitled The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. In his piece, Benjamin writes, “With the closeup, space expands; with slow motion, movement is extended. The enlargement of a snapshot does not simply render more precise what in any case was visible, though unclear: it reveals entirely new structural formations of the subject” (12). With a deeper look, Venice expands and opens itself up, allowing explorers to see the true identity of the city.

Conclusion
The experience of “Seeing Venice” is unique to every individual; however, in my portfolio I aim to create a visual experience that is rooted in research, theory, personal experience and the experiences of others. My original idea for my portfolio was to examine the relationship between Venice and photography; however as I ventured around the city taking photographs for my project, I realized that there were areas of Venice that I had never seen in photographs and deserved further examination. I wanted to tie into my project the idea of the “forgotten” Venice, the “dark underbelly” as I call it, along with the frequently unexamined details of the city. I also wanted to weave in some of my communication studies, examining how the greater media impacts the public’s perception of the city. All these ideas combined to create a portfolio focusing on the visual experience associated with the city, a topic for which I have grown very passionate about. I have learned that Venice is even more complex that I ever imagined and I’ve learned to view Venice in a new way. I can now better analyze my experience in Venice over the past several months and better understand my personal visual progression through Venice.

For copyright purposes, I would like to credit the musical artists who provided the music used in my video production:

- "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve

- "Time" by Chantal Kreviazuk

- "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas