Follower of Francesco Guardi (Venice, 1712–1793)

Oil on canvas

30 x 47 cm.

Framed: 41 x 58 cm.

The view captures one of Venice’s most important monumental squares, located in the Castello district, on the border with the Cannaregio district.

In the center stands the imposing, monumental Gothic brick façade of the Basilica of Saints John and Paul (known to Venetians as San Zanipolo), while on the left, the ornate Renaissance façade of the Scuola Grande di San Marco, crafted from white and polychrome marble, is clearly visible. Finally, in the center of the square, the silhouette of the equestrian monument to Bartolomeo Colleoni—a sculptural masterpiece by Verrocchio—stands out.

In the foreground, the Rio dei Mendicanti cuts horizontally across the lower part of the canvas, bustling with gondolas and cargo boats carrying figures hard at work.

This is a fine copy attributed to a painter presumably active in Venice around the end of the 19th century, a follower of Francesco Guardi. The painting that inspired it, “Il campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo,” was created by the Venetian master around 1762–1763 and is now on display at the Louvre Museum**

The work belongs to a series of six cityscapes created in the early 1760s and is based on a preparatory drawing now housed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.

From a technical perspective, Guardi employs a loose, vibrant, and broken brushstroke that foreshadows Impressionism: unlike the almost photographic and geometric precision of his contemporary Canaletto, Guardi does not aim to faithfully document Venice’s architecture, but rather to capture its soul, its light, and the ever-changing nature of the lagoon

The atmosphere of the painting is the true added value of this splendid work: the scene is bathed in clear daylight, with a vibrant effect created by the rapid, broken brushstrokes. Instead of applying color evenly, we see small dabs of color and quick strokes of white that create immediate effects of light and movement.

**

Francesco Guardi, Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo

1762–63

Oil on canvas, 72 x 120 cm

Musée du Louvre, Paris

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The work is framed in a gilded frame. It comes with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.

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