Painted from life , at the moment when day fades without yet giving way to night, the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, veiled in twilight, captures Venice in that fragile instant when the city seems to float between reality and dream. The basilica then appears as a silent presence, gently dissolving into a pale, pearly light.

A bluish veil covers the city, softening its contours and diluting its volumes. Dark pilings emerge from the calm water, extending the architecture in their shifting reflections. The water seems alive, almost sonorous, still carrying the memory of its song beneath the smooth, black hulls of the gondolas, invisible but suggested off-screen.

Created with gouache on Saunders Waterford paper, this painting reveals a subtle palette of blues, aquamarine greens, and luminous grays. The vibrant brushstrokes convey the humidity of the air, the transparency of twilight, and that unique feeling of Venice, where time seems to dissolve with the light.

Far from a descriptive or touristic image, the work offers an intimate and sensitive vision of the city, faithful to the lived experience. It is part of Olga Kataeva-Rochford's Venetian series , dedicated to fleeting moments, changing lights, and the silent dialogue between water, architecture, and memory.