The End of Venetian Painting: A Very Short Story

In an earlier essay, “Relics/Icons/Paintings: A Very Short History of Venetian Painting,” I traced the origins of Venetian painting. Here, continuing the story, I take that account into the present, offering a brief explanation of how this visual tradition developed and, also, why it died. In the prior account, I argued that the demand for fuller visibility of the sacred figures led from relics to icons and then on to paintings. In Venice, this pictorial tradition can be understood as providing a support for prayer.