GIACOMO GUARDI
Venice, 1764 – 1835
View of Venice
oil on canvas, cm 97,5×135
date: 1800 ca.
According to art expert Luciano Treggiari, in terms of its style and pictorial draughtsmanship, the painting of the view of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore suggests an attribution to Giacomo Guardi, son and pupil of the better-known Francesco.
The canvas, in this case of large dimensions unlike most of his works, can be dated after the first two decades of the 19th century, when the painter’s palette shifted towards warmer colours and the subjects depicted are more often humble boatmen and gondoliers at work. The buildings arranged along a deep diagonal perspective also echo a layout frequently used by the painter, as do the figures composed by patches of colour.
Giacomo’s art in this period was affected by the different cultural climate created by the fall of the Venetian Republic at the hands of Napoleon. The decline of Venice and the downsizing of its political role after centuries of glory are therefore also reflected in his painting, which becomes more narrative and decadent, far from the celebratory intentions of the first generation of vedutisti – although it should not be forgotten that his father’s compositions were already unique in vedutismo, so much so that they were considered a prelude to the romantic sentiment.
It is interesting to note in this regard that a painting from the collaboration between father and son, housed at Waddesdon Manor and smaller in size, depicts a similar view of San Giorgio Maggiore to ours, albeit from the opposite perspective.