French Customs’ stamps on the back of both canvasses
Provenance:
• probably Lord Carnarvon’s collection;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 9-10 March 1956, lot 83-84;
• count du...
read moreFrench Customs’ stamps on the back of both canvasses
Provenance:
• probably Lord Carnarvon’s collection;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 9-10 March 1956, lot 83-84;
• count du Boisrouvray’s collection before 1973;
Sale of Count and Countess Guy du Boisrouvray’s collection, Sotheby's, New York, 27 October 1989, no. 72 ;
• bought at this sale by the husband of the current owner.
“While Canaletto satisfies the eye, Guardi charms it”. This quote from a 19th century critic succinctly yet perfectly summarises Guardi’s work; that of an illustrious vedutist, carefully detailing the facades of the palaces bathed in the Serenissima sunshine. The dynamic yet calm lagoon is a stage for water jousting, crossings in gondolas or mercantile activities. While Guardi shares his impressions with the viewer, his canvasses also convey the taste of a time when Italy was generally looked upon as an attraction and a pleasure destination.
These two charming canvasses are convincing examples of life in Venice and the way it was depicted. The first view shows the Isola di San Michele, an island that served as a refuge for travellers and fishermen. Mauro Codussi erected the city’s first Renaissance church here in 1469. Presented at an angle, the church of San Michele is very similar to the views of San Giorgio Maggiore. A comparable painting once belonged to the Moratilla collection in Paris.
The second canvas, with its recurring theme in Guardi’s work, is a view of the Rio dei Mendicanti. On the bank, we can see Venice’s largest civil hospital. Just like the version kept at the Accademia Carrara gallery in Bergamo, gondolas transporting small characters bring the canal to life.
Surprisingly unknown during his lifetime owing to a style that was too modern for the taste of his contemporaries, Francesco Guardi is now acknowledged as one of the greatest artists in history. Precursor to a new style, he knew how to handle light with a hitherto unseen grace. 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. Probably painted during the last years of the artist’s career, these two delightful canvasses bear witness to his great talent. The enveloping light, the peeling walls and the effervescence of the Venetians all combine to make these two paintings exemplary works of the artist’s oeuvre.
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.
