Canvas - 34 x 47 cmVedute and italian views
Provenance:
R. Dreyfus Collection;
Duke of Talleyrand Collection;
Private collection, Monaco.
Previously known as “Olivolo”, the Isola di San Pietro was already inhabited by a small colony...
read moreProvenance:
R. Dreyfus Collection;
Duke of Talleyrand Collection;
Private collection, Monaco.
Previously known as “Olivolo”, the Isola di San Pietro was already inhabited by a small colony before the construction of Venice; it was the island’s olive trees that made it famous. In this painting, Guardi gives us a completely different view of this island situated behind the Arsenale basin, to the east of the Serenissima. The bucolic landscape has been replaced with the architecture of a traditional veduta, in this case, the broad Campo San Pietro with its basilica and bell-tower.
As a religious nerve centre, the Isola di San Pietro had a basilica, formerly a cathedral and the seat of the Patriarch of Venice, which was built in the 13th century and remodelled several times by Andrea Palladio, especially in the middle of the 16th century. Napoleon withdrew its title of cathedral in 1807 in favour of the Doge’s chapel in St. Mark’s square. Since then, the Venetians come to San Pietro every Sunday of Lent to attend the Forgiveness Ceremony on the site of the famous “Chair of St. Peter”. As is common in Italy, the bell-tower made from white Istria stone isn’t part of the church; furthermore, it was the first building of this type in Venice. Guardi provides a topographic view of the place: the vast Campo San Pietro with small roughcast houses appearing in the distance. The current classical tripartite facade is a faithful copy of Andrea Palladio’s plan of 1568 and resembles that of the Redentore. All in all, a vast architectural grouping for this charming island in the lagoon, which seems to have caught Guardi’s attention.
In fact, in his work on Guardi, Antonio Morassi refers to the great beauty of this painting[1] which belonged to the Duke of Talleyrand’s collection, a well-informed collector of Venetian masters. And in comparison to the version - now destroyed - that belonged to the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection in Lisbon, our painting bears witness to the modernity of Guardi’s style. The Lisbon painting, dated 1770-1780, bears greater resemblance to a study owing to its vibrant and spirited touch, whereas our canvas has a more finished, almost romantic appearance, thanks to the refined and misty tones and rendering of the architecture. Guardi clearly made a study of the motif; the proof lies in the sketch kept in the collections of the museum of fine arts in Epinal[2]. The composition is perfectly balanced and the artist has chosen a somewhat unconventional viewpoint. Maybe he is looking from the small San Pietro bridge? Contrary to Canaletto who studied the same viewpoint (drawing c. 1735-1740 in the Windsor Royal Collection), he prefers a more frontal and slightly unusual view, opening onto the canal whose width has been exaggerated.
Although surprisingly relatively unknown during his lifetime, Francesco Guardi currently figures among the greatest vedute painters. The precursor of a new style, he knew how to handle light with grace, as shown in his painting of the Isola di San Pietro di Castello, situated between heaven and earth. It is said that Canaletto painted the republic emerging from the waters of the lagoon; as for Guardi, he gives us the impression of a town dissolving into the water and mist.
[1] MORASSI, Antonio, Antonio e Francesco Guardi, Venice, 1975, I, p. 247.
[2] Francesco Guardi, San Pietro di Castello, quill on paper, 29.5 x 43 cm, Epinal, Musée des Beaux Arts.
Literature : Antonio Morassi, Antonio e Francesco Guardi, Venice, 1975, I, p. 247, no. 601, II, fig. 571.
Exhib. cat. Tiepolo et Guardi, Galerie Cailleux, 1952, p.59 no. 78; Exhib. cat. European Masters, 1954-55, p.137, no. 484; Morassi A., in Emporium, 1956, fig.20.
Exhibitions : 1952 : Paris, Galerie Cailleux, Tiepolo et Guardi, no. 78.
1954-55 : London, Royal Academy, European Masters of the Eighteenth Century, no. 484.
More informations
1712 - Venice - 1793
Alongside Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, the most well known of a family of painters, is the painter of veduti, these picturesque and meticulous views of Venice belonging to a...
read more1712 - Venice - 1793
Alongside Canaletto, Francesco Guardi, the most well known of a family of painters, is the painter of veduti, these picturesque and meticulous views of Venice belonging to a pictorial genre that reached fruition in the 18th century.
There is currently little documentation on the life and artistic development of Francesco Guardi. We know that he worked in the studio of his father, Gian Domenico, with his brother Antonio. His father was the pupil of Sebastiano Ricci, a well-known master. His painting had a strong influence on the development of our painter's style. In fact, it is thanks to him that Guardi learnt the small dotting technique, pittura di tocco, which played a major role in the evolution of this great Venetian painter’s style.
During the first half of his life, he painted decorations and paintings in churches. It was only after the death of his brother Gian Antonio in 1760 that Guardi focused his attention on views of Venice. He was the first artist to work exclusively on depicting reality such as the eye saw it. He knew how to relay the lyrical vision of a town or landscape in a fabulous manner. Francesco Guardi was the first to represent this new sensitivity that would soon dominate all Venetian art, at the very moment when this maritime republic was sinking into the depths of political and economic decadence. Continuing to develop the skill of his unique style, Guardi continued to paint veduti and capriccii until late in life.
Today, Guardi holds an important place in the history of art. His works are to be found all over the world (seven of them are at the Louvre). His vision of Venice influenced that of the great painters, such as Monet and Turner, who used this town as a source of inspiration. Just like Constable, Goya and the masters of Fontainebleau, Francesco Guardi’s style was the true substratum of a new approach to painting which, at the cusp of the 20th century, was to lead to the birth of modern painting.
