The Riva

In "The Riva," J. André Smith captures the Church of the Pietà and the bustle of the Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice's grand promenade along the lagoon.

In "The Riva," J. André Smith depicts the Church of the the Pietà on the Riva degli Schiavoni, the broad waterfront promenade that runs along Venice's lagoon. The church's classical facade, with its tall Corinthian columns and triangular pediment, rises above a wide flight of stone steps where figures pause, stroll and climb. To the right, an arched bridge crosses a canal, and the quay stretches into the distance past rows of buildings with striped awnings. A gondolier stands near the water's edge, and the prows of gondolas appear at the far right. Smith draws the scene with a fine, delicate line and leaves the paved foreground almost empty, giving the view a clam, sunlit openness.