Circa 1770-1780
Provenance:
Knoedler Gallery, New York;
Private collection, Texas
It is the intimist tendency of Francesco Guardi’s art that is expressed in these three charming...
read moreCirca 1770-1780
Provenance:
Knoedler Gallery, New York;
Private collection, Texas
It is the intimist tendency of Francesco Guardi’s art that is expressed in these three charming caprices. Far from the pomp of the Grand Canal or the frenzy of St. Mark’s Square, Guardi offers us his vision of architectural ruins in an evanescent atmosphere. These three Capricci distinguish him as an avant-garde master, displaying a resolutely free touch.
The work of our artist in his period of maturity - between 1770 and 1780, when these three small canvasses were painted – does indeed move away from the tradition of the veduta towards the freer and more sensitive conception of the “capriccio”. Based on real and identifiable sites, the painter reconstructs imaginary views which allow him to show the full worth of a truly modern talent. However, he doesn’t seek to portray every motif in detail. Our artist focuses more on an atmosphere and increases his efforts to create powerful lighting and colour effects, which animate and embellish the three views of ruins. The use of transparent colours painted with energetic touches gives a fleeting impression, characterising the play of sunlight on the ruins’ warm stones.
This fine artist offers us the very essence of his talent in these three small paintings. Meticulously executed according to Antonio Morassi, just like the three similar examples in the collections of the National Gallery in London[1], our caprices also contains elements that feature in large paintings: for instance, the motif of the sarcophagus and the columns in the large Capriccio[2] in the Victoria and Albert Museum. The painter pays just as much attention to his small formats, as can be seen in the preparatory drawing for our Capriccio with ruins animated with figures[3] kept at the Museo Correr in Venice.
By expanding the theme of the veduta to an imagined vision, Guardi anticipates the art of the 19th century by bringing an almost romantic nostalgia to his work. The Venetian and foreign admirers of his day certainly found this aspect appealing. Numerous English tourists acquired his works, allowing them to boast of having the most delightful souvenirs of the renowned city of Venice to take back home with them.
[1] Antonio Morassi, Antonio e Francesco Guardi, Venice, 1975, I, p. 497, no. 1009.
[2] Antonio Morassi, op.cit., Venice, 1975, no. 706, fig. 664.
[3] Antonio Morassi, Guardi, tutti i disegni, Venice, 1975, no. 484, fig. 485.
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.
