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Paul H. Tilton - The Lido, 1894

Paul H. Tilton (active about 1885 - 1895, Venice)

The Lido, 1894

Oil on canvas , 15 x 38 cm (5 7/8 x 14 15/16 in.)

Commentary

In the 19th century, Venice’s beauty and otherworldliness attracted Isabella Stewart Gardner and many expatriate artists and writers. Isabella and her husband Jack purchased this painting from the painter Paul Tilton on their 1894 trip to the lagoon city. It depicts the Lido, an 11-mile long sandy island located southwest of the city in the Adriatic Sea. While it surely served as a memento for their trip, the waves, dunes, and passing ships universally evoke a beach anywhere in the world.