View of the Island and Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Punta della Dogana, and the Church of Santa Maria della Salute (Primary Title)
Island and Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Punta Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute (Former Title)
Francesco Guardi, Italian, 1712 - 1793 (Artist)
This panoramic veduta presents a south-facing view
of the Venetian Lagoon seen from the mouth of the
Grand Canal. While the monuments of the Punta della
Dogana and the island of Giudecca are dimly visible
in the fading light of the late afternoon, the facades
of the church and the Benedictine monastery on the
island of San Giorgio Maggiore are emphasized by
strong contrasts of sunlight and shadow and their
abstracted reflections in the glassy surface of the water.
This picturesque setting ultimately serves as a mere
background to the pageantry of marine activity that
is front and center in Guardi’s composition. The
foreground teems with the busy motions and shared
efforts of fishermen and cargo handlers; meanwhile, a
multitude of gondolas transports clients from island to
island. These occupations were the lifeblood of Venice’s
economic vitality, and the dark shadow cast by the
Quay San Marco along the bottom of the picture plane
quite literally underscores the primacy of these
activities. As the site of the Doge’s Palace, the quay’s
shadow was perhaps also intended to subtly evoke the
governing presence of the republic’s supreme authority
The Jordan and Thomas A. Saunders III Collection
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