Thursday 1 November 2018

Venice

This picture of a garden on the side of the Grand Canal in Venice hangs in my sittingroom.   It was painted by my first husband, Malcolm Rivron, and reminds me of our many holidays in Venice over the years.

Venice, one of my favourite places in the World, with an atmosphere and a beauty like nowhere else on earth.  And yet a place which always feels precarious, as though it will disappear under the sea without warning.

One of our first visits there was in the early eighties when our half term happened to coincide with a visit to La Fenice in Venice of the Shanghai Opera Company and after queueing all morning we managed to get tickets to sit on very hard forms in the pit of this very grand theatre to see the performance.  It was breath-taking although we couldn't understand a word of it.   In 1996 the theatre, almost completely made of wood, burned down and so I remember that visit with great affection.  Now, sadly the city is under five feet of water.  I cannot help wondering how many years the city will be there before it sinks into the sea and disappears for ever.

25 comments:

Barbara Anne said...

What a talented painter Mr. Rivron was. I hope you have more of his paintings in your home or in the family as this one of Venice is outstanding.

Carol Caldwell said...

What a beautiful painting. Lovely that it evokes memories of holidays past. Venice is one of the places I always wanted to visit but haven't been abroad for the last 20 years so not sure it will ever happen now. Lovely to see paintings like this though.

the veg artist said...

Beautiful painting! I saw the photos of Venice under water - again, and wondered just how many times it can survive.

Gwil W said...

The recent ' acqua alta ' covered the floor in the cathedral. One report said: The building aged twenty years in a day.

Nice to see your painting. I have one a friend painted for my birthday. It's called Guidecca in Fog. So not much to see!


Librarian said...

It is a beautiful painting, and I particularly like how your first husband painted the water.
Although my first marriage was to an Italian and I spent every summer on Sicily for 10 years, I have never been to Venice. It must indeed be a special and unique place.

Sue in Suffolk said...

A lovely painting. Saw Venice under water on the news - it looked very devastating. I guess it's going to take a long time to get back to normal again

Bonnie said...

What a beautiful painting! I can imagine what lovely holidays you must have enjoyed there.

Sandi said...

That painting is fantastic. What talent!

Anonymous said...

That is a pretty painting Pat. I've never been to Venice, but a friend from Oklahoma moved there about 6 months ago and she is right along the canal. I wonder if she'll stay after this. She loves Venice. Donna@gather

Rachel Phillips said...

I like the painting. I have visited Venice many times and it is one of my favorite cities too. As my preferred time to visit is winter, I have often seen the duckboards in place but never had to use them. I gather the recent storms brought the water level up to the 4th highest level they have ever had. They will have to get busy with their mop and buckets.

Sue said...

A lovely painting. Venice was the first place that Paul took me to when we first met so it holds special memories for us.

Tom Stephenson said...

I hope the water level goes down by early December. We are going then.

Heather said...

Such a beautiful painting. Your first husband was a very accomplished artist. What lovely memories this picture must recall for you. I have never been to Venice but my son and his wife went a couple of years ago and thought it very beautiful.

angryparsnip said...

Wonderful painting full of memories.
I have only been to Venice once but I loved it . We stayed at a lovely little hotel and walked everywhere.
Hope the water level goes down soon. I read about that and felt so very sad.

cheers, parsnip and badger

Chris said...

You probably saw Venice at its best on your first visit. I hear the cruise ships have completely ruined it for regular tourists. I would love to go some day but would probably just be contributing to its demise.

Terra said...

What a beautiful painting of Venice, he captured the look of water. My hubby and I spent quite a bit of time exploring Florence and Rome but did not see Venice, that magical city. Donna Leon writes a mystery series set in Venice and one of them is set at La Fenice before the terrible fire destroyed it.

Cro Magnon said...

One would have imagined that by now a solution would have been found. Other than building a hefty wall all around; I can't see anything else doing the job.

thelma said...

What a calm and beautiful painting, always a reminder of happy times. I do believe there is something they can do about flooding in Venice but what it is I can't remember.

Rachel Phillips said...

No, Chris Elliot, cruise ships have not ruined it for regular tourists. They come in, the people disembark, walk to St Marks Square and back and re-board. They go no further. I go to Venice regularly and they have not ruined it for me and one is really not aware of them, except for the sight of the cruise ship anchored.

Tom Stephenson said...

Cruise ships have ruined it for the locals. They disembark in their thousands, wander around without spending any money in the restaurants because they eat on board. I am not speaking from experience. This is what the locals say. Venice is too small for two or three giant cruise ships a day.

Derek Faulkner said...

Several national newspapers reported on Nov.8th 2017 that from 2021, cruise ships over 55,000 tonnes will no longer be able to pass through St. Mark's Basin and dock in the city. They will have to dock at Marghera on the mainland.

liparifam said...

Venice is one of the places I want to re-visit - I just absolutely loved it. And the recent reports on the flooding have made me realize that it better be sooner than later... And Cro - apparently a (supposed) solution WAS found and work begun, but after an obscene amount of money had been spent, work pretty much stalled because of budget overruns and corruption :(

galant said...

That is such a beautiful painting, Pat, by your first husband, and what lovely memories you have of your visit to La Fenice I've never been to Venice, but I watched the prog on ITV last night at 8.30 pm with Gino de something or other as he was travelling down the east coast of Italy, starting at Venice. It was lovely to see, especially the aerial views.
Margaret P

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for your contributions everyone. I must say that the sight of those giant cruise ships is quite incongruous. Prices are inflated in Venice - you almost need a mortgage for a coffee at Florians - but worth every euro.

Ruth said...

The painting is beautiful!! What a talent he had. Today is All Souls Day - may both your dear husbands rest in Peace forever.