Francesco Lazzaro Guardi, born 1712 in Venice Italy was an outstanding Venetian landscape painter of the Rococo period. He was a nobleman and a member of the Venetian School. His fame primarily rests on the veduta (view) paintings he specialized in. In fact, after the artist Canaletto, Guardi was perceived to be the main painter of views of Venice in the 18th century. Following the works of Canaletto he recorded both the architecture of the city and its inhabitants in both interior and exterior scenes.
Yet while Guardi followed Canaletto in producing views, he soon developed his own style which was based on a freer handling of paint. He particularly enjoyed rendering the vibrant atmosphere of Venetian light and its dazzling effect on water. In his works you will also notice his painterly style known as pittura di tocco (of touch) for its small dotting and spirited brush-strokes. Take a look at his stunning work below.
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1. View on the Grand Canal at San Geremia, Venice (1760-65)
2. The Bucintoro Festival of Venice (1780–93)
3. Fire in the Oil Depot in San Marcuola (1789)
4. Lagoon Looking Towards Murano from the Fondamenta Nuova (1765-70)
5. Pair of Capricci
6. View of San Giorgio Maggiore (1760)
7. The Grand Canal in Venice with Palazzo Bembo (1768)
8. View on the Cannaregio Canal, Venice (1775-1780)
9. Fanciful View of the Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome (ca. 1785)
10. Temporary Tribune in the Campo San Zanipolo, Venice (1782)
11. Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge, Venice, probably (1780)
12. Capriccio with bridges over a canal
13. Capriccio of a Harbor (1760/1770)
