Il Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1895

Henry Woods RA (1846 - 1921)

RA Collection: Art

Woods studied art in his native town of Warrington in Lancashire where he met Luke Fildes, RA (1843–1927). They both subsequently moved to London where in 1865 Woods took up a scholarship place at the South Kensington Schools. At first Woods worked as an illustrator for The Graphic and other magazines, but from 1869 he exhibited oils at the Royal Academy.

Woods, on the advice of Fildes, visited Venice in 1876. He was so struck with the city that he settled there permanently. Although appreciating the history of the place, and using the architecture as a backdrop, it was the everyday life of Venice that interested him. This painting is typical of his work with its rich colours and his portrayal of the city bathed in a golden light.