The Grand Canal: Scene - a Street in Venice

A city of light and water, Venice enabled Turner to indulge his fascination with brilliant effects of color and luminosity. More than a simple view of the famous city, the painting presents also offers associations that would have been familiar to English visitors. For example, in the right foreground, leaning out a window, the figure of Shylock from Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice brandishes a document, a set of scales, and a knife—all references to his infamous demand of a pound of flesh in exchange for a loan. Turner’s image of Venice is of a fantastic dreamscape of plays and fables, where reflections on the water and shimmering highlights delight the eye.