The Second Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival: East Meets West Through Art, in Tribute to the 700th Anniversary of Marco Polo

On October 12, 2024, the opening ceremony and awards ceremony of the Second Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival were held in grand style at the Palazzo dei Trecento in Treviso, Italy. Set against the historic backdrop of the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, this edition received official authorization from the City of Venice and became an integral part of the city-wide commemorative program. Featuring over 130 watercolor works from more than 20 countries and regions, the festival once again harnessed the power of art to carry forward a millennium-long tradition of dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations.​

Historical Context: An Artistic Tribute to the 700th Anniversary of Marco Polo

The year 2024 marked the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Italian explorer Marco Polo (1254–1324). To honor the pioneer who forged the earliest pathways of exchange between East and West, the Municipality of Venice passed Resolution No. 73, establishing a national commemorative committee chaired by Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, with Italian Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano signing a formal decree in recognition — launching an extensive series of memorial events across the city.

The Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival, having demonstrated growing influence in the field of international cultural exchange, was submitted to the Secretariat of the "Marco Polo 700th Anniversary National Commemorative Committee" for review, passed the rigorous screening of its Scientific Committee, and was officially incorporated into the commemorative program as a key component of the city-wide celebrations. This recognition represented not only an endorsement of the festival's achievements over two years, but also imbued this edition with a historical and humanistic significance that transcended art itself.

The Opening: Watercolor Artists from Around the World Gather at the Palazzo dei Trecento

On October 12, 2024, the Palazzo dei Trecento — the seat of the Treviso City Council — welcomed the opening ceremony and awards presentation of the festival. Built around 1185, this historic building retains frescoes painted by Venetian artists between the 14th and 16th centuries, its profound historical atmosphere lending a resonant backdrop to the luminous vitality of watercolor art. Distinguished guests in attendance included Raffaello Padovan, President of the Italian Cultural and Art Exchange Association; Cristina Santinon, Special Representative of the City of Venice and Director of the Gaetano Watercolor Institution, serving as the thematic lead for the Marco Polo 700th anniversary events; the President of the Marangoni Art Association of Italy; Sandra Miranda Pattin, international juror for both editions of the festival; and numerous artists who traveled specially from Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, and China. Zhao Kangwei, Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee and President of the Shanghai Chinese and Foreign Culture and Art Exchange Association, delivered congratulatory remarks via video link.

In his opening address, Raffaello Padovan stated: "This is a tremendously successful global watercolor event. Compared to the first edition, the entries this year demonstrate greater diversity in style and technique, and display a distinctive aesthetic quality in terms of both execution and expressiveness. The abstract works in particular came as a delightful surprise — a subject rarely explored in watercolor. These works offer the audience an opportunity to encounter the remarkable diversity of artistic expression from around the world." He also encouraged participating artists to look beyond technical mastery and direct their attention toward beauty that exists outside the self — a breakthrough not merely of skill, but of thought and perspective.

Cristina Santinon, representing the Marco Polo 700th Anniversary National Commemorative Committee, expressed her admiration for the quality of works on display: "Watercolor is a medium deeply beloved by Chinese artists. Since Marco Polo's time, Italy and China have continued to exchange and communicate through culture and commerce in countless ways, and our exhibition is an equally important continuation of that tradition. Today, we are not only commemorating a great historical figure — we are inheriting and carrying forward his spirit, bringing together artists from China and Italy, and building a bridge of cultural communication."

A Dual-Track Competition: Open Theme and Marco Polo

This edition deepened and expanded the international framework established by the inaugural festival, introducing an innovative dual-track creative structure. Festival Curator Zhang Hongbin explained that the competition was organized around two distinct sections: an open theme section, designed to give artists maximum creative freedom to express their individual styles and artistic imagination; and a Marco Polo themed section, inviting artists worldwide to pay tribute through watercolor to the legendary explorer who pioneered East-West cultural exchange.

The open theme works displayed extraordinary diversity — some artists rendered natural landscapes with meticulous brushwork, expressing reverence for the natural world, while others employed bold colors and dynamic compositions to explore inner emotional landscapes. The Marco Polo themed exhibition used history as its canvas, guiding viewers through the legendary explorer's journey from Venice across Central Asia to China. Many works integrated historical scenes with a contemporary watercolor sensibility, vividly depicting the fusion and transformation of Eastern and Western civilizations through centuries of encounter and exchange.

An Authoritative Jury and Award Results

The jury for this edition comprised internationally recognized figures from multiple countries, including Rosa Sepple, former President of the Royal Watercolour Society (UK); Manuel Alpañés Ramos, President of the Spanish Watercolour Association; and Jayne Barry, President of the Watercolour Society of Ireland, among other distinguished artists, critics, and curators. The judging criteria extended beyond technical proficiency and aesthetic value to place particular emphasis on originality and intellectual depth — encouraging artists to enrich their work with cultural meaning and social resonance alongside artistic excellence.

Following two rigorous rounds of selection across preliminary and final judging, the following major awards were announced:

Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival First Prize (USD 2,000)​ Chinese artist Liu Yunsheng was awarded the highest honor in the open theme category for his work Bald Head — a portrait of compelling force and depth that earned unanimous acclaim from the international jury.

Marco Polo Themed Creation Award (USD 2,000)​ Chinese artist Yao Hongyu received the Marco Polo Themed Creation Award for Walking in the Rain Series No. 5, a lyrical and evocative depiction of the Piazza San Marco that seamlessly weaves historical memory with the expressive language of contemporary watercolor.

Second and Third Prizes Italian watercolor artist Felice Feltracco and Jessica Bryant from Minnesota, USA, were awarded the Second and Third Prizes of the Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival respectively for their outstanding works. Category awards — comprising first, second, and third prizes along with excellence awards — were also presented across all competitive divisions. Notably, every work exhibited in the on-site exhibition received a specially commissioned commemorative medal marking the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death, in tribute to this historic cultural milestone.

Cumulative Achievements: An International Landscape Shaped Across Two Editions

According to Ji Yinglun, Secretary-General of the Organizing Committee, by the close of the second edition, the two festivals combined had attracted over 2,000 entries from artists, art academy faculty and students, and watercolor enthusiasts across nearly 40 countries. The jury has consistently been composed of presidents, curators, and leading artists from the Royal Watercolour Society (UK), the Australian Watercolour Institute, the Spanish Watercolour Association, the Watercolour Society of Ireland, and China. This edition's exhibition presented over 130 works from more than 20 nations — a significant expansion in both scale and quality compared to the inaugural edition — drawing a steady stream of visitors daily and receiving extensive coverage from Italian and local media.

Reflecting on the festival's founding vision, Curator Zhang Hongbin remarked: "We have never regarded the Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival as merely an art event. Rather, we combine the medium of watercolor with competition and exhibition to explore cultural identity, giving artists the opportunity to express their sense of belonging to their own traditions. Through watercolor, artists can tell their own stories, trace their roots, and engage with questions of culture, identity, and collective memory. The festival provides a platform for dialogue and exchange between different cultures, fostering understanding and respect for cultural diversity."

Significance and Looking Ahead

"Understanding the world through art, connecting the future through watercolor." Just as Marco Polo connected East and West along the Silk Road 700 years ago, the Second Le Venezie International Watercolor Festival brought together artists and audiences from across the world through the power of art — creating a celebration that transcends time and culture. The fact that the festival received official authorization from the City of Venice and was incorporated into a national commemorative program within just two years of its founding is itself the most compelling testament to its international standing and professional caliber, laying an ever more solid foundation for the festival's continued role as a bridge between Eastern and Western artistic traditions in the years ahead.

The exhibition of winner：

https://www.shengxinyuart.com/index/exhibition/detail?id=Mzkw