Martin Rico y Ortega

Captivated by Venice’s colorful combination of water, sky, and stone, the Spanish painter Martín Rico y Ortega spent every summer there from 1879 until his death. He usually painted outdoors under the midday sun, working in a gondola in remote corners of outer islands like the Giudecca, as seen here. Though this painting provides a glimpse of working-class Venetian women performing their daily chores, Rico’s main concern is the complexity of colors in the stone buildings and their reflections. Rico maintained careful control over his impressionistic technique, building an enthusiastic and international range of buyers who valued the visual brilliance of his paintings.