Night of the Festival of the Redeemer

Thousands of tiny dabs in blue, gold, and white swirl together to form the shimmering city of Venice at night. Henri Edmond Cross painted this scene during the Festa del Redentore, a summer festival Venetians have celebrated since the 1500s to mark the end of a terrible plague. On this night, boats crowd the canals and fireworks burst overhead. A dark gondola slips through the water, glowing buildings rise in the distance, and scattered flecks of color near the top hint at fireworks lighting up the sky.

Cross painted in the Pointillist style, an approach that builds pictures from small separate touches of color instead of smooth, blended strokes. He was close friends with Paul Signac, a driving force behind the movement, and the two spent many days painting side by side along the Mediterranean coast. Because this piece is a watercolor rather than an oil, it feels softer and more like a dream than most works of its kind. Water, light, and sky seem to blur into one glowing haze, capturing the quiet magic of a Venetian celebration.