You have heard about Merlin's magic art; here in Venice you may _see_
that of Titian, Giorgione, and all the others. In the Palazzo Barbarigo
we went to the room which is said to have been Titian's studio for some
time. The window faces the south, and the sun is shining on the floor by
two o'clock. This made us think, whether you should not, after all, let
the sun be there while you are painting. A temperate sunlight in the
room makes the lights golden, and through the many, crossing, warm
reflections the shadows get clearer and more transparent. But the
difficulty is to know how to deal with such a shimmer; it is easier to
paint with the light coming from the north. On the other hand, you see
that the Venetians never tried to render in painting the impression of
real, open sunlight. Their delicate sense of colour found a greater
delight in looking at the fine fused tones and shades which are seen
when the sunlight is only reflected under the clear blue sky and between
the high palaces. Therefore, you often think that you see, for instance,
groups of gondoliers on the Piazzetta in gay silvery notes, as in any
painting by Paolo Veronese; and in the warm daylight in the great,
gorgeous halls of the Palazzo Ducale there are still figures walking
about in a colour as golden and fresh as if they were paintings by
Titian.
_E. Lundgren._