An Island in the Lagoon (Alternative Title: An Island Scene Near Venice)

Francesco Guardi (attributed to) 1712 - 1793

Summary

This is one of a series of views that Guardi made of Venice. They show the technique of his later years: a spirited, atmospheric approach that is very different from the measured and orderly style of Canaletto, the other famous view-painter of Venice. This is an imaginative view of a stormy day in the Venetian lagoon, looking from a rocky outcrop to the open sea beyond. A tree on the left, apparently lapped by the surging tide, frames our view. A small boat struggles on the waves as it negotiates a narrow passage of water in front of a coastal tower. Two figures on the rocky outcrop in the foreground are tossed about like puppets, as a huge gust almost knocks them both off their feet at the same time. Guardi came from a family of Venetian artists. He worked first on religious paintings, initially with his father and then with his brother, until the latter's death in 1860. From then on he concentrated on vedute (views) and capricci (fantasy views) of Venice. This work has been attributed to him, because it conforms closely to the style of his last decade, although it can be very hard to distinguish Guardi's work from that of contemporary and other imitators.

Display Label

An Island in the Lagoon Lagoon Capriccio with a Ruined Arch Lagoon Capriccio with a Church Lagoon Capriccio with a Church and a Bridge Lagoon Capriccio with a Peasant and Cattle Storm at Sea Attributed to Francesco Guardi 1712-93 Oil on panel The upper and lower two paintings here are a pair, and the middle four a series. All are cappricci, or fantasy views, of 18th-century Venice, a genre of which Guardi was the master. They show the technique of his later years: a nervous, spirited approach that is very different from the measured and orderly style of Canaletto, the other famous view-painter of Venice. Assheton Bennett bequest 1979.522, 1979.523, 1979.525, 1979.524, 1979.526, 1979.521